SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A top Russian security official met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Friday and thanked him for the country’s support of Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine, according to Russian state media.

North Korea is believed to be receiving economic and military assistance from Russia in return for providing weapons and troops.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's top security adviser Sergei Shoigu has arrived in North Korea and plans to meet its leader Kim Jong Un, the TASS news agency reported on Friday, his latest visit amid dramatic advances in security ties between the countries.