A Russian delegation led by Culture Vice Minister Andrei Maluishev arrived in North Korea on Thursday, state-run media reported, two days after the countries' leaders vowed to strengthen cooperation.

Putin during the call on Tuesday praised the “bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit” displayed by North Korean troops as they fought with Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region,

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un have vowed to strengthen cooperation, days ahead of Putin's summit in Alaska with Donald Trump, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday.