N Korea pledges deeper ties with Russia as security chief visits 

SEOUL, Sept 14: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to deepen ties with Russia as he held talks with visiting security chief Sergei Shoigu, state media reported Saturday.

Western powers have accused cash-strapped North Korea of selling ammunition to Russia in defiance of sanctions over the more than 30-month war in Ukraine. 

North Korea has recently bolstered military ties with Russia, with President Vladimir Putin making a rare visit to Pyongyang in June, where he signed a mutual defence agreement with Kim.
Pictures in North Korean state media showed Kim and Shoigu hugging and smiling at the end of their visit, with the North Korean leader "wishing the respected President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin good health and success in his work".     —AFP