North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui denounced U.S. “hegemony” at a meeting of the BRICS economic bloc in Russia, according to state media, as the DPRK looks to align itself more closely to Moscow’s efforts to challenge American military and economic might.

The DPRK’s legislative body met to amend an array of laws, most notably on disaster prevention, in what may have been an effort to introduce more specific provisions following devastating floods over the summer.

Leader Kim Jong Un also sent a message to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for