North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has met her Russian counterpart in Moscow to discuss ways to bolster bilateral ties and beef up cooperation, state media reported Thursday. Choe held talks with Russian Foreign Minister,

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed expanding bilateral relations. Choe traveled to Russia earlier this week, according to the Russian embassy in North Korea,

Secret aspects of a new pact between Russia and North Korea are more concerning than the missiles that Pyongyang has shipped to Moscow for use against Ukraine, the Army general nominated to command American and UN forces in South Korea told senators Tuesday.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Son Hui departed for a trip to Russia, state media reported Tuesday, as the two regimes continue to strengthen ties amid growing international concern about their military cooperation.

North Korea sent its foreign minister to Russia for her second trip in less than a year to the major backer of Kim Jong Un’s regime. The move comes as Pyongyang readies for a parliamentary meeting that will likely approve measures that raise tensions with South Korea.