North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has returned to Pyongyang after a four-day state visit to Moscow, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday. During the trip, Choe met both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with the two sides agreeing to accelerate cooperation under their 2024 mutual defense treaty. The visit has drawn attention amid speculation that it may have been aimed at coordinating a potential summit trip to Russia by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, following an invitation extended by Putin when the two met in Pyongyang last year.