North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has signed off a defense pact with Russia, the North's state media reported Tuesday, as Pyongyang sent its troops to Russia in support of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has sent a trusted special forces general to Russia to lead Pyongyang’s troops in Ukraine, Kyiv’s intelligence has said.

Russia had completed the ratification of the treaty last week after it was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June. It is considered both countries’ biggest defense deal since the end of the Cold War.

North Korea’s troop dispatch threatens to escalate the almost three-year war. South Korea, the U.S. and their partners also worry about what Russia could give North Korea in ret

North Korea has ratified a mutual defence treaty with Russia signed by the two countries' leaders in June, which calls for each side to come to the other's aid in case of an armed attack, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

The Russian military has assembled a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, as it prepares to begin an assault aimed at reclaiming territory seized by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia.

North Korea has signed off an a treaty with Russia calling for a "comprehensive strategic partnership," Pyongyang's state-controlled news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday. It comes as North Korean troops are in Russia fighting against Ukraine,

North Korea ratified a major defence treaty with Russia stipulating mutual military aid, the North’s state media reported on Tuesday. It comes as the US, South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.