North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday met with Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council, in Pyongyang, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday, confirming earlier reports of the meeting by Russian media.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a meeting with Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, the North's state media confirmed Wednesday, saying that Kim affirmed Pyongyang's cooperation with Moscow under their mutual defense treaty.

Thousands of North Korean laborers are already toiling in Russia. A new contingent is headed to the region where North Korean troops fought Ukraine.