South Korea, US sound alarm over North Korea-Russia ties ahead of Putin visit

SEOUL –  A possible upcoming visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea could deepen military ties between the two countries in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, South Korean and US officials said on June 14.

South Korean Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, in an emergency phone call with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, said that Mr Putin’s expected visit should not result in deeper military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow in violation of the resolutions, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.

Echoing Mr Kim’s concerns, Mr Campbell pledged continued cooperation to tackle any potential regional instability and challenges that may arise from the expected trip.

The South Korean ministry said in a statement: “While closely monitoring related developments, the two sides agreed to resolutely respond through airtight cooperation to North Korea’s provocations against South Korea and actions that escalate tensions in the region.”

On June 12, a senior official from South Korea’s presidential office said Mr Putin was expected to visit North Korea “in the coming days”.

Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper on June 10 reported that Mr Putin would visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on June 13 declined to give a date or agenda for a possible visit, but said Russia’s right to develop closer ties with North Korea should not be in doubt or be a source of fear for anyone.

North Korean Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong issued a statement via state media accusing Washington of staging a “serious political provocation aimed at tarnishing” North Korea’s image by holding a UN Security Council meeting on its human rights situation this week.

Civilian aircraft have been cleared from Pyongyang’s airport and there are signs of preparations for a possible parade in the capital’s Kim Il Sung Square, NK Pro, a Seoul-based research website, reported this week, citing commercial satellite imagery.

“It remains possible that the parade or large event will not coincide with Putin’s visit, but as Kim (Jong Un) is likely to treat their summit with great importance, it’s also possible North Korea could put on a special event to celebrate Russian-DPRK ties at the square,” wrote Mr Colin Zwirko, a senior analytical correspondent with NK Pro. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

In past instances, such preparations were made only days before the event, he added.

When Mr Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s then defence minister, visited Pyongyang in 2023 to jump-start the two countries’ warming ties, he accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to a parade and saluted as North Korea’s banned nuclear-tipped missiles rolled by.

Growing partnership

Russia has used North Korean-made missiles and artillery shells to attack targets in Ukraine, officials in Washington, Seoul and Kyiv, as well as UN sanctions monitors and independent experts, have said.

North Korea and Russia have denied arms deals but vowed to deepen cooperation across the board, including in military relations.

Speaking at the Stimson Centre think-tank in Washington on June 12, Mr Campbell said the US has a very good understanding of what North Korea has provided Russia, which he said has had “a substantial impact on the battlefield”.

What is less clear, he said, is what Russia has provided North Korea. “Hard currency? Is it energy? Is it capabilities that allow them to advance their nuclear or missile products? We don’t know. But we’re concerned by that and watching carefully,” he said.

In testimony in March to Congress, US director of national intelligence Avril Haines said Russia has been forced by its need for support in its war against Ukraine to grant some “long-sought concessions” to North Korea, as well as China and Iran “with the potential to undermine, among other things, long-held non-proliferation norms”.

She did not elaborate on her statement, but the reference to weakening non-proliferation norms appeared to be a warning that Russia could provide North Korea with military-related technology.

This growing cooperation and willingness to exchange aid in military, economic, political and intelligence matters enhances their individual capabilities, assists them to undermine the rules-based order, and gives them some insulation from international pressure, she added.

The US intelligence community assesses, however, that these relationships – including that between Moscow and Pyongyang – will remain “far short” of formal alliances because parochial interests and wariness of each other will most likely limit their cooperation, Ms Haines said. REUTERS