North Korea-Russia treaty comes into force, KCNA says

SEOUL (Reuters) - The "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty" agreed by the leaders of North Korea and Russia in June came into force on Wednesday with the exchange of "ratification instruments" in Moscow, the North's KCNA news agency reported on Thursday.

The treaty was signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June and a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and includes a mutual defence pact for immediate military assistance if either faces armed aggression.

It "will serve as a strong driving force accelerating the establishment of independent and just multi-polarized world order without domination, subjugation and hegemony," KCNA said.

Putin's visit and the agreement on furthering military cooperation between the two countries came amid Pyongyang's escalating involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, with more than 10,000 North Korean troops deployed to fight with Russia.

Neither country has acknowledged the deployment or the shipments of thousands of containers of ammunition from the North as well as mobile howitzers and rocket launchers.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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