North Korea's intelligence chief Ri Chang-dae attended an international security forum in Moscow and held talks with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu (a senior Kremlin official and former defence minister), state media in Pyongyang reported Sunday. The two sides discussed strengthening bilateral security and intelligence cooperation to defend their countries' "core interests" and tackle regional and global security challenges. The meeting signals deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, with Ri having made a near-identical visit to Russia for the same annual forum in May 2024.