{
  "id": 12516638,
  "title": "North Korea's Kim pledges 'invariable support' in Putin birthday letter",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/north-koreas-kim-pledges-invariable-support-in-putin-birthday-letter",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T01:24:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Channel News Asia",
    "slug": "channel-news-asia",
    "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/north-korea-kim-support-putin-birthday-letter-6437946"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has written a birthday letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, pledging his \"invariable support\" for Russia. According to state media, Kim described Russia's war in Ukraine as a \"sacred war of justice\" and expressed his conviction that it would end in victory.\n\nKim also expressed his desire to deepen North Korea's strategic partnership with Russia, citing their \"comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance\". He noted that it was his \"steadfast policy\" to expand and develop joint work with Russia.\n\nThe letter comes amid strained relations between South Korea and Ukraine, with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky recently revealing that two captured North Korean soldiers had been transferred to Seoul's custody. North Korea has become a key ally of Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with South Korea's spy agency estimating that around 2,000 to 6,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in the war.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV",
        "title": "In Birthday Letter To Putin, Kim Jong Un's \"Invariable Support\" Promise",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/in-birthday-letter-to-putin-kim-jong-uns-invariable-support-promise",
        "published": "2026-10-07T02:02:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}