Lavrov told Kim that Russia's President Vladimir Putin "hopes for continued direct contacts in the very near future," according to the Russian state agency TASS.

Russian and North Korean state media announced the visit earlier, saying Lavrov would stay until Sunday.

It is the latest in a series of high-profile trips by top Moscow officials as both countries deepen military and political ties over Russia's offensive in Ukraine.

Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to oust Kyiv's forces and provided the Russian army with artillery shells and missiles.

Earlier on Saturday, Lavrov met with his counterpart Choe Son Hui and said that North Korean officials had "reaffirmed their full support for all objectives" of the offensive in Ukraine, TASS reported.

He also thanked the "heroic" North Korean soldiers.