Watch Putin cling on to North Korea official’s hand with vice-like grip for full agonising minute in chilling power-play

THIS is the chilling moment Vladimir Putin stared down North Korean foreign minister Choe Son-hui with a minute-long handshake in Russia.

The bizarre power-play came after the mad dictator expressed his gratitude to Kim Jong-un’s top envoy.

Footage of the incident shows the 60-year-old diplomat replying to Putin in Russian, as he kept hold of her hand for a full minute.

Putin's vice-like grip and stare confused Son-hui, who looked uncomfortable as the Russian dictator failed to loosen his grip while shaking her hand.

It comes after after the North Korean leader bailed out the Russian leader by deploying 11,000 troops to fight against Ukraine.

Handshaking is not a widespread custom among everyday interactions within North Korean society.

Son-hui had not been scheduled to meet Putin on her visit to Russia, but the Kremlin dictator changed his schedule to see her.

She said: “From the very beginning of the special military operation, respected comrade Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong-un gave the order that we, without looking over our shoulder at anyone, should invariably and powerfully support and provide assistance to the Russian army and the Russian people in their holy war.

“We have no doubt that under the wise leadership of the respected President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the Russian army and people will certainly achieve a great victory in their sacred struggle to protect the sovereign rights and security of their state.”

The North Korean forces have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region where some 400 square miles is occupied by Ukrainian forces.

Kyiv says it has already engaged the North Korean fighters - but Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has made clear he is alarmed at a lack of Western military support to help him counter the new Pyongyang troops fighting six time zones from home.

He warned in his nightly TV message: “As for the North Korean troops in Russia, there are already 11,000 in the Kursk region.

“We see an increase in North Koreans and we do not see an increase in the reaction of our [Western] partners.”

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council's Centre for Countering Disinformation, revealed that the North Koreans are wearing Russian uniforms.

He said: "The first ones have already been under fire."

"I can't talk about the losses yet, I don't know this, the information is being checked.

"But the fact that the first ones have already been spotted and there was shelling on these positions, that's for sure."

Ukrainian troops have already wiped out at least 40 "elite" North Korean soldiers deployed by Vladimir Putin to regain his invaded Kursk territory.

It's not the first time the Russian dictator has been accused of playing mind games.

Putin previously brought out his massive "social distancing" table again - leaving a gaping distance between himself and Russia’s religious leaders.

The laughable distance came after the Kremlin was forced to deny Putin was facing health problems.

In 2015, Putin left Pope ope Francis waiting again after the Kremlin leader met the late religious leader.

Putin’s tardiness is legendary, with journalists working in the Kremlin pool detailing regular waits of several hours as meetings rarely start on time.

His lateness varies from leader to leader, and in Putin’s terms, an hour’s wait is a sign of respect.

He was 50 minutes late for his first meeting with Pope Francis in 2013, while others have been kept waiting for up to an hour.