A meeting between two of the world’s most isolated leaders took place on September 12th of 2023. Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un unite once again since 2019 in Eastern Russia, where they are expected to discuss further alliances between the two nuclear powers. The main topic of discussion is expected to be military aid from both ends, however the array of agendas to be discussed are far more detailed.
Focusing on their economic alliance, Russia and North Korea have been partners for a long time. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia overlooked its investments with North Korea, however such dismissive policies took a turn in recent times, and Russia is investing a lot in their relationship with DPRK, in order to promote economic cooperation with the other isolated State. The reasoning behind it? Maybe Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine asked for foreign investments; maybe North Korea is getting ahead of something? We are only left with speculations.
As much as relations between them were not at a high after the USSR dissolution, we must acknowledge that the Soviet Union itself had a well structured economic partnership with North Korea having its share in foreign trade at over 50% in 1990. During this time, many facilities were built in North Korea, responsible for producing a great amount of supplies to the country such as electricity; fertilisers and metals.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union however, Russia decided to prioritise their economic investments with other countries such as South Korea. But not long after cutting ties with DPRK, Russia realised that a more close relationship with them would actually be more in touch with their interests, and the beginning of the 21st century marked the start of a new and improved relationship between the two.
During the year 2000, the countries signed an Intergovernmental Treaty on Friendship, Good Neighbourly Relations and Cooperation, where they established favourable conditions regarding legal, financial and economic partnerships to promote trade and general collaboration with the goal of development from both ends, and a new modern relation.
Between visits, their close relation envisioned the reconstruction of enterprises built by joint efforts, and to create a railway to link the North and South Korea peninsulas to Russia and Europe. For Russia, influence and a close relationships with he countries in the Korean peninsula means a doorway to northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
However, despite all the economic goals Russia envisioned, many projects such as building a gas pipeline to South Korea through North Korea are yet to be implemented. Under the rule of Kim Jong Un, North Korea is finally aiming to a more diverse foreign relations, in order to attract foreign investment and to accelerate the conclusion of projects regarding their economic development. As of right now, China is the main partner of North Korea, which means this relationship needs to quiet down in order to secure a more stable one with Russia.
But this doesn’t mean Russia and North Korea relationship is by any means in its beginning. As a matter of fact, Russia forgave 90% of DPRK’s debt, and agreed for the remainder to be paid over a 20 year period. Their economic alliance is getting stronger by the second, ever since 2014 where Russia and North Korea have expanded bilateral contracts in the economic area.
Over the years, we see this collaboration develop, as DPRK is investing in many enterprises in the easter regions of Russia. Over the 15 that had North Korean Investments, 6 of them had 100% of DPRK capital. There have also been programs for the development of Russia’s eastern territory that involves incorporation North Korean labour in the region, pushing for both countries economic growth.
Most recently, in 2023, the two potencies met once more in Russia, and the meeting is expected to evolve around the supply of weaponry from North Korea to Russia, for the current war Russia is in against Ukraine. Of course, the limited data stops us from being able to analyse in detail what happened between closed doors, however their alliance is undeniably worrying for the rest of the globe.
In conclusion, Russia and North Korea have quite a significant history together, and their economic ties go way back to the Soviet Union. Although throughout the years, there were moments where their relationship took a downturn, however in recent times it is undeniable that both of them considered each other allies, and count of each other in order to fulfil their own isolated agendas.
REFERENCES:
https://time.com/6313095/russia-north-korea-relationship-timeline/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879366516300124
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/04/us/politics/putin-kim-meeting-russia-north-korea-weapons.html
By The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
