As Putin headed toward North Korea, the South fired warning shots at North Korean troops who had temporarily crossed the border.

Seoul, South Korea — Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea to support His activities in Ukraine And said their countries will cooperate closely to overcome US-led sanctions Headed towards Pyongyang Tuesday for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Coming as Putin's visit Tensions on the Korean Peninsula Both hit their highest points of the year with momentum Kim's weapons tests And joint military exercises between the US, South Korea and Japan are intensifying in a cycle of tit-for-tat. The Koreans are also engaged in Cold War-style psychological warfare North Korea is dumping tons of garbage South with balloons and the South broadcasts anti-Korean propaganda with its loudspeakers.

South Korea's military said troops fired warning shots to repel North Korean troops who temporarily crossed the rivals' land border on Tuesday for the second time this month. The South's military said North Korea had stepped up construction activities in front-line border areas, such as erecting suspected anti-tank barriers, reinforcing roads and planting landmines.

The countries are technically still at war, as the 1950-1953 conflict ended with a cease-fire. Their divided demilitarized zone is one of the most heavily mined areas in the world.

However, Pyongyang is laying more landmines, reinforcing strategic roads and what appear to be anti-tank barriers, Seoul's military said, according to Agence France-Presse..

The agency reported that the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said they believed Tuesday's incident — like earlier this month — was accidental, with about 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers carrying work equipment.

Putin's comments came in an op-ed piece in North Korean state media hours before he arrived in the North for a two-day visit as the countries deepen their alignment in the face of separate, intensifying conflicts with Washington.

Putin, who will make his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, said he appreciated the strong support for his invasion of Ukraine. He said countries would continue to “strongly oppose” what he described as Western ambitions to “obstruct the establishment of a multi-polar world order based on mutual respect for justice”.

Putin also said Russia and North Korea would develop an indefinite trade and payment system “that is not controlled by the West” and jointly oppose sanctions against the countries, which he described as “one-sided and illegal restrictive measures.”

North Korea is under UN Security Council economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also fighting sanctions from the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.

Putin said the countries will also increase cooperation in the fields of tourism, culture and education.

Putin's visit comes amid growing concern over an arms system in which Pyongyang supplies Moscow with badly needed weapons to fuel Putin's war in Ukraine in exchange for economic aid and technology transfers that will bolster the threat of Kim's nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Military, economic and other exchanges between North Korea and Russia increased sharply after Kim visited the Russian Far East in September for meetings with Putin, their first since 2019.

US and South Korean officials have accused the North of helping Russia prolong the war in Ukraine with artillery, missiles and other military equipment, possibly in exchange for key military technology and aid. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied allegations of North Korean arms transfers, which would violate multiple UN Security Council sanctions previously approved by Russia.

Along with China, Russia has provided political cover for Kim's continued efforts to advance his nuclear arsenal, repeatedly blocking US-led efforts to impose new UN sanctions on the North for its weapons tests.

In March, a Russian veto at the United Nations ended UN sanctions monitoring of North Korea over its nuclear program, prompting Western accusations that Moscow is seeking to avoid scrutiny over its purchase of weapons from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Putin sent Kim a high-end Auras Senate limousine, which he showed the North Korean leader when they met for a summit in September. Observers said the shipment violated a United Nations resolution banning the supply of luxury goods to North Korea.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the deepening relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang is worrisome, “not just because of its impact on the people of Ukraine, because we know North Korea's ballistic missiles are still being used to hit Ukrainian targets, but because there is some reciprocity.” which could affect the security of the Korean Peninsula.”

“We haven't seen all of those parameters yet, certainly haven't seen it come to fruition. But we'll certainly be watching it very, very closely,” he said.

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soosuk said Seoul has been stressing to Moscow that any cooperation between Russia and North Korea must “not proceed in a direction that violates UN Security Council resolutions or undermines peace and stability in the region.”

Lim also reiterated Seoul's regret over Russia's decision to veto a UN resolution in March that would have effectively canceled monitoring by UN experts of the implementation of Security Council sanctions against North Korea. US and South Korean officials have said they are discussing options for a new system to monitor the North.

Putin has continually sought to rebuild relations with Pyongyang as part of his country's efforts to restore influence and its Soviet-era alliance. Moscow's relations with North Korea weakened after the Soviet collapse in 1991. Kim Jong Un first met Putin in 2019 in the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok.

After North Korea, the Kremlin said Putin is also expected to visit Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday with talks focusing on trade. The United States, which has spent years strengthening ties and boosting trade with Vietnam, criticized Putin's planned visit.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Vietnam said, “As Russia continues to seek international support to sustain its illegal and brutal war against Ukraine, we reiterate that no country will give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities.” will give.” said in a statement.