North Korean leader's visit will bring many benefits to Russia

Leader Kim Jong-un arrived at Khasan station in Primorsky region (Russia) on the morning of September 12, and may be on his way to the Russian port city of Vladivostok - where President Vladimir Putin is attending the Eastern Economic Forum.

US and allies announce sanctions

Many experts are inclined to believe that the central topic of the negotiations is the contribution of North Korea to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It can be very diverse. One of them is that North Korea produces multiple launch rocket systems, and operational-tactical missile systems similar to those of the Soviet Union. In addition, the North Korean arsenal is stockpiling large quantities of 100-152mm caliber ammunition - ammunition that is becoming in great demand at the front.

Many opinions do not even exclude the topic of the North Korean army sending volunteers to the front in Ukraine. In fact, the North Korean army is considered one of the strongest forces in the region, but they have not fought in over 70 years. What is especially important for North Korea is that its army is part of the Soviet-Russian army. So, if they really send volunteers to fight, they will easily get used to the weapons and have a high chance of success.

Of course, the United States has been the first to express its displeasure with such prospects. It has repeatedly accused North Korea of ​​supplying weapons to Russia. US Vice President Kamala Harris called the North Korean arms deal an “act of desperation” by Moscow, warning of “even greater isolation for Russia and North Korea.”

Last fall, the New York Times, citing US intelligence, reported that Russia may have purchased millions of artillery shells and rockets from North Korea. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that in exchange for the ammunition, Russia would likely send food to Pyongyang. A possible deal between Russia and North Korea was reportedly brokered by Slovakian arms dealer Asho Mkrtychev, who was sanctioned by the US government. Last December, Washington accused Pyongyang of supplying combat missiles and rockets to the Wagner group.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have consistently denied such “purchases” and “aids.” North Korea does not supply weapons to Russia, and there is no reason to supply them to Ukraine. Russia does not buy weapons from North Korea. As Russian Ambassador to Pyongyang Alexander Matsegora emphasized, North Korea is actually preparing for war, and it is North Korea that needs the weapons it has accumulated.

Kim En Un, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that the controversial efforts to improve relations between Russia and North Korea further encouraged Moscow and Pyongyang to maintain a “honeymoon” atmosphere.

The first,Western media have no information on the exact time when the alleged North Korean weapons were deployed in Ukraine. It should be noted that the UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on North Korea, and has expanded them several times, following Pyongyang's nuclear tests in 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Specifically, about 50% of North Korea's exports are covered by UN sanctions. In addition, many countries have imposed their own sanctions.

Monday,Before sanctions were imposed, North Korea sold ammunition to countries in Africa and the Middle East. But since North Korea began conducting its first nuclear tests 14 years ago, the United Nations has passed sanctions resolutions that include provisions for searching North Korean shipping vessels in foreign ports and international waters. Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has voted for these resolutions and strictly complies with them. So accusations that Moscow is buying weapons from North Korea are baseless.

Furthermore, since 2020, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the North Korean border has been in a state of “closed doors”, all trade and diplomatic activities are completely frozen. Nothing leaves the country. At the same time, no ships can enter there.

Alexander Perendzhiev, associate professor of political analysis and socio-psychological processes at the Russian Higher School of Economics and a member of the expert council of the Russian Officers, believes that the moves by the US and its allies are a sign of concern in the West about the resumption of military relations between Russia and North Korea. A real military alliance to counterbalance the West is emerging. The West was originally afraid of an alliance between Russia and China, but now a very real “strategic triangle” of nuclear powers has begun to emerge.

Why did Russia "shake hands" with North Korea?

The close, close ties that have been established between Russia and North Korea have been shaped by deep historical processes. Russia has been an important diplomatic and economic partner of North Korea since the end of World War II. Moscow stood by Pyongyang in the early days of the Korean War, providing military support, tanks, aircraft and strategic advisers. During the Cold War, Russia was Pyongyang's most important main ally, accounting for half of North Korea's foreign trade.

Both suffering from Western sanctions, Russia and North Korea have found common ground. According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry before Sergei Shoigu's trip to Pyongyang in late July 2023, "North Korea is an important partner, sharing a common border and a rich tradition of cooperation." On the North Korean side, Pyongyang has begun to introduce new concepts such as "tactical and strategic cooperation" to talk about its relationship with Moscow.

In other words, Russia and North Korea seem to be forming a “situational alliance” that benefits both sides, as both sides are cornered by the United States and the Western bloc. According to Professor Artyom Lykin on 38 North: Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine has opened up a new geopolitical reality, in which the Kremlin and Pyongyang are becoming closer, perhaps even reaching the level of quasi-alliance that existed during the Cold War.

For both Russia and North Korea, which are under severe sanctions from the US and the West, the warnings of sanctions coming after Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia are not surprising. However, practice has shown that despite imposing more than 17,000 sanctions on Russia, the West has not achieved its goals, and the measures have been exhausted.

Some Russian experts believe that Washington could respond to Pyongyang not directly, but indirectly. For example, by increasing the level of military-technical cooperation with South Korea, including in the field of nuclear technology, thereby forcing North Korea to respond to the new challenge by creating fundamentally new weapons systems that Pyongyang does not have. At the same time, the level of US-South Korean military cooperation would increase.

At the same time, North Korea's two other rivals, South Korea and Japan, are systematically anti-Russian. In the coming time, harsh sanctions may be imposed on Russia.

For its part, Pyongyang can expect from Moscow not only military-technical cooperation, but also economic and political cooperation. The economic one is mainly food supplies, as well as cooperation in mining and other industrial sectors.

Kim En Un, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said: "Russia is proposing measures to train personnel for North Korea. For example, the Far East has large reserves of limestone - a raw material for cement production, but Russia does not have the capacity to do so. Therefore, Russia is calculating that it can build a factory in North Korea. That would benefit everyone. Researchers also estimate that North Korea is rich in rare earth metal resources worth $2,000 billion. Meanwhile, Russia does not have enough supply. Why not develop production right now under such favorable conditions?"

Of course, Pyongyang could get all of this from Beijing, but the North Korean leadership is wary of over-reliance on China and wants to diversify its foreign relations. And Russia is the only candidate, because Moscow and Pyongyang are linked by a long history of mutual trust.

In 2019, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia. That same year, in a birthday message to the Russian leader, Kim Jong-un praised Putin for “crushing the challenges and threats of the United States”; at the same time, he pledged to “hold hands” and strengthen strategic cooperation with Moscow. In addition to the promise to “strengthen defense cooperation,” Russia and North Korea resumed trade activities that had been delayed due to the pandemic.

The North Korean state news agency (KCNA) said on September 13 that leader Kim Jong-un's visit aimed to bring the North Korea-Russia friendship and cooperation to a "new height".

In short, North Korea opposes Western imperialism, while Russia calls for a multipolar world order and opposes collectivism. Ultimately, both Russia and North Korea have a common goal of opposing the West. So it is no surprise that Russia does not reject any friendship. Russia’s need for “friends” also benefits the world’s most closed country./.