Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. (AP)
No, North Korea did not initiate a military strike against Russia. They are allies
If Your Time is short
- Recent news coverage of diplomatic ties between North Korea and Russia indicates the nations’ relations are strengthening, not collapsing.
Ties between North Korea and Russia have disintegrated to the point of military aggression, according to a video viewed thousands of times and flagged by Facebook for misinformation.
"North Korea has taken action against (the) Russian army!" a caption for the Oct. 8 video read.
The video showed miscellaneous b-roll footage of North Korean and Russian military forces, along with glimpses of the nations’ two leaders, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. Voiceover narration summarized what it said was preemptive military coordination between the respective adversarial foreign powers.
But there’s no evidence any of this has occurred.
The post was identified as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Recent news coverage of diplomatic ties between North Korea and Russia indicates the nations’ relations are strengthening, not collapsing.
On Oct. 7, a day before the post was published, the international newswire service Reuters published an explanatory report about the state of North Korea’s and Russia’s ties. "Putin and North Korea's Kim forge closer ties amid shared isolation," the headline read.
Featured Fact-check
Reuters reported that Kim sent Putin birthday well wishes and commended the Russian president for "crushing the challenges and threats of the United States."
The two leaders also exchanged letters this summer in which Kim pledged "tactical cooperation and support" against "threats, provocations, coercion and arbitrariness of hostile forces," and Putin pledged to "expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations," according to an Oct. 8 report in the Toronto Star.
According to reporting from The New York Times, American intelligence officials say North Korea exported weapons and ammunition to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine — an assertion North Korea denied.
Claims that North Korea has initiated military action against Russia are baseless. We rate them Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Facebook post (archived), Oct. 8
The Toronto Star, "In its war with Ukraine, Russia has unsavoury allies, from Iran to North Korea. Here's what's in it for them," Oct. 8, 2022
Reuters, "Explainer: Putin and North Korea's Kim forge closer ties amid shared isolation," Oct. 7, 2022
The New York Times, "North Korea denies U.S. claims of arms sales to Russia," Sept. 22, 2022
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Michael Majchrowicz
No, North Korea did not initiate a military strike against Russia. They are allies
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.