To the DPRK for weapons. Putin went to see Kim Jong-un

Putin visited the DPRK for the second time, his first official visit taking place at the very beginning of his first term, in 2000.

Vladimir Putin went to Pyongyang to visit DPRK leader Kim Jong-un. Putin’s visit to North Korea will last for two days. On June 19, Putin is scheduled to hold talks in various formats, including a personal meeting with Kim. The main topic of the meeting was military cooperation, which the Kremlin is actively using in the war against Ukraine.

Weapons for Russia

As the war in Ukraine enters a protracted phase, Russia is actively seeking arms suppliers in many countries around the world. North Korea has been a perfect partner. First, its highly militarized economy has allowed it to create one of the largest arsenals of shells and missiles in the world, which is exactly what the Russian army needs today. Second, many North Korean weapons were developed on the basis of old Soviet ones, use the same calibers and are therefore compatible with modern Russian ones. Some of them are almost exact copies of Russian models – for example, the North Korean KN-23 missile, which Russia has already fired in Ukraine, is very similar to the Russian 9M723 for the Iskander-M operational-tactical complex.

In addition, both Moscow and Pyongyang are so tolerant that it is difficult to threaten them with any new restrictions. And having a common land and sea border simplifies logistics supply and makes it impossible to intercept and arrest vehicles carrying weapons and ammunition in violation of UN resolutions.

In the third year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which provide each other with much-needed supplies, has intensified, experts say.

The main question on the military side of the agenda, according to Nam Song Wook, a professor at the Faculty of Unification and Diplomacy at Korea University, is how many weapons North Korea will give Russia in the future.

Some experts do not rule out that this time Moscow and Pyongyang may go beyond short-term agreements on the supply of conventional weapons to North Korea and agree to closer military cooperation, for example, in the joint development of weapons systems.

Technologies for North Korea

It is also possible that North Korea wants to receive from Russia something greater than food and fuel in exchange for arms supplies to Russia.

According to Professor Nam, North Korea, which failed to launch a military reconnaissance satellite in May 2023, may raise the issue of Russian assistance in future launches. Another potential topic is Russia’s high-resolution satellite imaging technology.

But nuclear weapons are unlikely to be the subject of public discussion, Nam said, because cooperation or sharing of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia could lead to serious opposition from neighboring countries such as the United States. and China.

Avoidance of penalties

Russia and the DPRK are also expected to discuss expanding economic cooperation. This issue deserves attention: both countries are under sanctions.

North Korea needs the workers’ “foreign exchange earnings,” said Kang Dong-wan, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Dong-A University, which could raise the possibility that more North Korean workers could be sent to Russia. .

Russia also needs large amounts of labor to compensate for the damage caused by the war in Ukraine and to rebuild the economy.

However, the UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against the DPRK prohibits North Korean workers from working abroad. All North Korean workers previously sent to work abroad will be repatriated by December 22, 2019. And if Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, formally pursues hiring North Korean workers, it is likely that it would cause great outrage in the international community.