DPRK top leader meets visiting Russian senior official

SEOUL -- Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), met with visiting Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Sergei Shoigu on Friday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Saturday.

During the talks, they had a wide exchange of views on the issues of steadily deepening the strategic dialogue between the two countries and strengthening cooperation to defend the mutual security interests and on the regional and international situation, and reached a consensus on the issues discussed, the KCNA said.

Kim expressed his appreciation for the development of bilateral ties in all fields including politics, economy and culture, and said that the DPRK government would further expand cooperation and collaboration with Russia in the spirit of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the future, it added.

The DPRK leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the treaty in Pyongyang in June of this year.