Kim Jong Un to visit Russia for potential discussion on arms trade deal

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reportedly set to visit Russia during the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), scheduled from Sunday to Wednesday in Vladivostok. According to government officials, the visit is expected to revolve around discussions on military cooperation, including the supply of weapons for the Ukraine conflict. On Tuesday, a high-ranking official from the authorities confirmed in a conversation with The Dong-A Ilbo that "intelligence agencies had already detected indications of Kim Jong Un considering a visit to Russia next week." Another official mentioned, "There is a strong possibility of Chairman Kim's visit to Russia, particularly in the wake of North Korea's second failed military reconnaissance satellite launch last month." With Russia facing an urgent need for ammunition and weaponry due to the protracted Ukraine conflict, the South Korean government is of the view that North Korea's desperate need for acquiring nuclear-powered submarine-related technology may have triggered the progress towards a summit meeting between Pyongyang and Moscow.

The South Korean government holds the view that Chairman Kim is highly likely to travel to Russia aboard his private train. If this visit materializes, it will mark Chairman Kim's first foreign trip in four years and five months since his visit to Vladivostok in April of the same year as the "no-deal" aftermath of the Hanoi summit between North Korea and the U.S. in February 2019. North Korea, Russia, and China are expected to soon engage in joint maritime exercises, potentially turning the Korean Peninsula into the forefront of the new Cold War dynamics where the three allies of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan are confronted with the united front of the North, China, and Russia," further escalating military tensions.

Chairman Kim, who recently began lifting the barriers at the border that were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has chosen Russia as his first destination instead of China. This choice may have been driven by the belief that Russia, isolated by international sanctions after the Ukraine conflict, would be more proactive in transferring advanced military technologies, including nuclear-powered submarines, than China.

An official from the presidential office expressed concerns about the potential arms trade between North Korea and Russia, stating, "We are paying attention to the discussions not just because North Korean and Russian leaders are meeting but because of the potential discussions on arms supply." The official criticized, "North Korea providing traditional weapons to Russia and Russia supplying advanced technology, including nuclear submarines, to North Korea in return, pose a threat to South Korea and the entire free world.”


Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com · Kyu-Jin Shin newjin@donga.com