Putin and Kim Jong Un’s mutual defense pact uses language nearly identical to the USSR’s 1961 treaty with North Korea

North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, has published the strategic partnership agreement signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday in its entirety.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency was quick to note that a key section of the document looks familiar: Article 4, which concerns the provision of military aid if either party comes under attack, is nearly identical to Article 1 of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance signed in 1961 between North Korea and the USSR.

Article 4 of the new agreement reads as follows:

In the event that one of the Parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or group of states and thus finds itself in a state of war, the other Party will immediately provide military and other assistance by all the means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and in compliance with the legislation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation.

Meanwhile, the 1961 treaty contained the following language:

In the event that one of the Contracting Parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or a coalition of states and thus finds itself in a state of war, the other Contracting Party will immediately provide military and other assistance by all the means at its disposal.

The earlier pact was signed by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and North Korean leader Kim Il Sung. The only significant difference between the two excerpts is that the 2024 agreement mentions the U.N. Charter and Russian and North Korean law.

In 1996, Russia and North Korea exchanged communications stating that the 1961 treaty had “lost its significance” and was “effectively not being implemented.” Then, in 2000, Moscow and Pyongyang signed the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness, and Cooperation. Article 2 of that agreement stated that in the event that one of the parties faced a threat of aggression or a situation threatening peace and security, the parties would “immediately contact each other.”

Commenting on the new agreement on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov stated that only those who are planning aggression against Russia or North Korea could object to the article on military assistance. “This is an exclusively defensive position,” Lavrov told state media.