The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty agreed upon by the leaders of North Korea and Russia in June came into force yesterday with the exchange of ratification instruments in Moscow.

North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported today that it aims to accelerate the establishment of a multipolar world order free from domination and hegemony. The treaty, signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s June visit to Pyongyang, includes a mutual defence pact for military aid against armed aggression.