The war in Ukraine gives North Korea an opportunity to enter the world stage.

Seoul – The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make an extraordinary visit to Russia this monthDiscuss the military assistance your country can provide to the President Vladimir Putin Its war in Ukraine could give North Korea two things it has long craved: It finally becomes an important and essential neighbor by acquiring technology for its weapons programs.

North Korea has not been in the limelight except for repeated condemnations by the world for its intercontinental ballistic missile tests. But still Russia’s rush to make new military gains gives Kim an opportunity to focus some geopolitical attentionProvoke the US and accidentally move closer to Moscow and Beijing.

While Russia has long been a key ally of isolated North Korea, Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, relations between the two countries have experienced tense moments. In addition, trade with Russia is very limited for the North Korean economy: with China it practically reaches.

But now The two countries are getting closer, thanks to shared interests and worldviews.

The White House has repeatedly warned that North Korea has begun sending artillery shells and rockets to Russia while negotiating arms deals with the Kremlin. Statements from Western officials this week Kim has promised to visit Russia soon, speaking to fears they feel about the acceleration of that rapprochement..

For its part, North Korea faces technical problems with its nuclear and missile programs, as well as urgent economic needs, and Russia can help on these fronts.

“It’s a win-win situation for both parties.”says Lee Pyeong-chul, a North Korean scholar at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul.

One question about such rapprochement is the extent to which North Korean aid will facilitate Russian advances into Ukraine, especially given North Korea’s economic problems and chronic food shortages. In recent weeks, Kim visited a group of munitions factories and urged his officials to increase productionState media reported.

But Lee says this North Korea may have a large surplus of ammunitionIt has not fought a war since the armistice with South Korea in 1953. And because its weapons are largely based on Soviet weapons systems, North Korean weapons are broadly compatible with the Russian arsenal.

“The news comes as a shock to the United States and European countries, who expect the war in Ukraine to end soon.”Lee notes. “North Korean Munitions More Fuel to Fire.”

A deal between North Korea and Russia could further escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.Helping North Korea advance its nuclear weapons program and forcing South Korea and Japan to strengthen military cooperation with the United StatesAnalysts say.

“Kim is seeking technological shortcuts for his military satellite and missile programs, which have been hampered by economic sanctions.”says Leif-Erik Eisley, professor of international studies at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul. Easley adds that increased military exchanges between Russia and North Korea would “undermine peace and security in Europe and Asia, and expose Moscow’s and Pyongyang’s decision to openly allow violations of international law.”

He Kim’s visit to Russia is possible This is the first time since he made his first official visit to the country in 2019, when he arrived in an armored train.

Since coming to power in 2011, the North Korean leader has pursued two parallel goals: Build a nuclear arsenal and revive your country’s stagnant economy. Focused first on its weapons programs, it conducted four underground nuclear tests and launched intercontinental ballistic missiles. Kim tried to exploit the growing military threat from his country Leverage to force Washington to ease sanctions on North Korean economy.

That hope evaporated in 2019 with the severing of his diplomatic ties to President Donald Trump. Since then, Kim has attempted to develop a new curriculum. Soon, he made a bet to change the world order he called for “The New Cold War”He thereby sought to further align his country with Beijing and Moscow and against the US-dominated “unipolar” world order.

His strategy has already paid off, allowing North Korea to continue to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles and conduct other missile tests with impunity in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Although North Korea has historically been more of a problem than a help to Russia and China, Both the Kremlin and Beijing have asserted their veto power in the Security Council in recent months To prevent new measures against Pyongyang encouraged by the US and its allies.

In July, Russia and China sent high-level officials to Pyongyang. Russia sent Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, while China sent Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong. In a scene that signaled deepening ties between their countries, the two officers stood with Kim on a balcony during a military parade.

The parade was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Belt War, celebrated in North Korea. “Victory Day”. The conflict in Korea was the last war in which these three countries fought together against the United States and its allies. And meet them again, Kim tried to show the seriousness of the trilateral alliance to counter the trilateral alliance of Washington, Tokyo and Seoul.

“Kim Jong-un Jumps on Bandwagon of New Cold War”says Chung Ki-young, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank affiliated with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. “For him, there is no better way to make himself relevant than to align himself closely with Moscow.”

During his visit, Shoigu suggested conducting joint military tests with North Korea and China, according to South Korean lawmakers who received the information from their country’s National Intelligence Service on Monday. Countering the trilateral military cooperation of the US, South Korea and Japan in the region.

In August, Kim and Putin exchanged letters pledging to expand “bilateral cooperation in all fields” and build “a lasting strategic relationship in line with the demands of the new era.”

Currently, Moscow does little for North Korea in terms of trade or economic aid: In the first five months of this year, North Korea imported just 5,380 tons of corn and flour from Russia.That compares with 102,000 tons of rice imported from China, according to South Korean government economists.

But Russia has critical technologies that could advance Kim’s weapons programs. North Korea has launched several ICBMs since 2017. Western experts still doubt that the country has all the technology needed to produce small, lightweight intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Since May this year, North Korea has made two attempts to launch its first military spy satellite into orbit, but both attempts failed. The country is trying to develop its first underwater missile and is believed to have encountered technical problems there as well.

“Any financial assistance will be symbolic.”Sang says. “But North Korea needs technical assistance from Russia because five of its major weapons programs are based on Russian-sourced technology.”

So Chang Hun

Translation by Jaime Arrambide