Donetsk leader calls for ‘beneficial’ ties with North Korea

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The head of Russian proxy forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region has sent a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for cooperation amid signs the North may send laborers to Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. North Korea’s state media said Donetsk separatist leader Denis Pushilin expressed hope his Moscow-backed republic and North Korea could achieve “equally beneficial bilateral cooperation agreeing with the interests” of their people. North Korea last month recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions. There are indications North Korea may send workers for restoration projects in those regions, which could run against U.N. Security Council sanctions over its nuclear weapons program.