Russia’s defence minister has pledged to boost military ties with North Korea after meeting Kim Jong-un on a rare high-level visit to the reclusive nuclear-armed regime.
Sergei Shoigu, the general charged with overseeing the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, is joining a Chinese delegation in Pyongyang this week to mark 70 years since the signing of the armistice that brought a truce to 1950-53 Korean war – an occasion known as “Victory Day” in the North.
Satellite imagery has indicated Pyongyang has been preparing for a large-scale military parade to showcase goose-stepping soldiers, military firepower and the expanding ballistic missiles programme that has triggered major international sanctions.
The inclusion of VIP Russian and Chinese guests, including senior politician Li Hongzhong, potentially signals an easing of Pyongyang’s strict Covid-19 border controls and offers Kim a domestic propaganda victory as he attempts to bolster a statesman-like image despite crushing economic woes.
Mr Shoigu was welcomed on the tarmac at Pyongyang’s airport on Tuesday night by his North Korean counterpart Kang Sun-nam, before walking past a line of saluting soldiers and a red banner welcoming the “Comrade Defence Minister” in both Korean and Russian.
Russia, a historic ally of Pyongyang, is one of very few countries that maintains friendly relations with the North, while authoritarian leader, Kim, has offered unwavering support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to a US intelligence report last year, Russia has been buying millions of artillery shells and rockets from North Korea. Analysts suggest this may have been in exchange for grain, oil and medical shipments that enable Kim to soften the impact of US-led sanctions against his nuclear weapons programme.
After meeting with the North’s most senior defence officials, Mr Shoigu indicated military ties with Pyongyang would intensify, reported NK News, citing a statement released by the Russian defence ministry via Telegram.
“I am convinced that today’s talks will help strengthen cooperation between our defence agencies,” the statement quoted Mr Shoigu as saying, without specifying any details of future military cooperation.
“For Russia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is an important partner, with which we share a common border and a rich history of cooperation,” he said.
Kim’s push for deeper links with authoritarian allies China and Russia signals an effort to counter US efforts to intensify Washington’s trilateral security cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo as it seeks to curb Beijing’s growing footprint across the Indo-Pacific.
In recent months, Pyongyang has lashed out over joint US-South Korean military drills and the docking the first American nuclear-armed submarine to arrive in South Korea since the 1980s, launching missile tests in response.
In contrast to the grand celebrations expected in Pyongyang this week, the South will mark the armistice anniversary in a more sombre manner.
Yoon Suk Yeol, the South Korean president, has invited dozens of foreign war veterans, including a British delegation, to honour the fallen soldiers of the 1950-53 conflict, which killed and injured millions and set the stage for decades of tension between the two Koreas and the United States.
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