▲ North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is shown in this file photo taken from Korean Central Television on Oct. 20, 2023. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(ATTN: UPDATES with developments in paras 1-3; RECASTS headline)

SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui visited Moscow on Saturday for an official visit, a Russian media outlet reported.

Choe arrived in the Russian capital "at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov," the report said, without providing further details.

It is her first trip to Russia since the previous visit in October.

North Korea and Russia have been bolstering their ties since June 2024, following the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty signed between their leaders.

The treaty is considered to have effectively revived the two countries' Cold War-era military alliance.

After the signing, Pyongyang deployed around 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine and deepened bilateral cooperation on multiple fronts.

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