North Korea’s Kim vows full support for Putin’s ‘sacred fight’ hours after launching ballistic missiles
Russia’s Vladimir Putin hinted that military cooperation was discussed during his rare meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who toasted his host over a lavish lunch of sturgeon and crab dumplings, and predicted Russia’s victory in its “sacred fight” over “evil” in Ukraine.
The two allies facing a growing isolation from the West met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Far East Russia Wednesday to talk about military issues, the conflict in Ukraine and possible Russian help for North Korea’s struggling satellite program, which has been hampered by two failed launches of spy satellites in four months.
After greeting his guest with an enthusiastic 40-second handshake, Putin, 70, showed Kim around the spaceport and dangled before him the possibility of sending a North Korean astronaut into space.
Kim, 39, peppered a senior Russian space official with detailed questions about rocket engineering during the tour of the sprawling launch site, where he arrived by limousine that had been transported to the remote location aboard the North Korean leader’s armored train.
Kim’s entourage during the visit included Pak Thae Song, chairman of North Korea’s space science and technology committee, and navy Admiral Kim Myong Sik, who are linked with North Korean efforts to acquire spy satellites and nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines.
Also present was Jo Chun Ryong, a ruling party official in charge of munitions policies.
After the visit to Vostochny, Putin and Kim held discussions for several hours with their respective ministers, before having a one-on-one meeting about world affairs and possible areas of cooperation — further fueling growing concerns in the West that North Korea could supply Russia with urgently needed ammunition to be used on Ukraine’s front lines.
The meetings were followed by a sumptuous formal lunch of Russian “pelmeni’ dumplings stuffed with Kamchatka crab and pine nuts, and sturgeon with a side of mushrooms and potatoes, all washed down with Russian wine, reported local state media.
Kim raised a glass to Putin’s health, to Russia’s victory and to Korean-Russian friendship.
“I firmly believe that the heroic Russian army and people will brilliantly inherit their victories and traditions and vigorously demonstrate their noble dignity and honor on the two fronts of military operations and building a powerful nation,” Kim read from a prepared statement after rising from the table.
“The Russian army and people will certainly win a great victory in the sacred struggle for the punishment of a great evil that claims hegemony and feeds an expansionist illusion,” Kim added, without naming Ukraine or any of its allies.
Putin and Kim called each other “comrades” — and the Russian leader reminded Kim several times that it was the Soviet Union that backed North Korea — and was first to recognize it 75 years ago.
To further cement the bond between Russia and North Korea, Kim vowed “full and unconditional support” for Russia as it continues what he called a “just fight…to defend its sovereign rights.”
“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has always expressed its full and unconditional support for all measures taken by the Russian government, and I take this opportunity to reaffirm that we will always stand with Russia on the anti-imperialist front and the front of independence,” he added.
Whether the lovefest between Putin and Kim that was on full display Wednesday ultimately leads to weapons shipments to Russia remains to be seen.
US officials said that President Biden’s administration “will not hesitate” to impose sanctions if any armaments are transferred between North Korea and Russia.
“We have taken a number of actions already to sanction entities that have brokered arms sales between North Korea and Russia, and we won’t hesitate to impose additional actions if appropriate,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
North Korea is believed to possess a huge stockpile of artillery shells which would be compatible with Russian weapons, and which would help replenish Russia’s own supplies depleted by more than 18 months of attritional fighting in Ukraine.
Buying arms from North Korea, or transferring satellite technology to the rogue state, would violate multiple resolutions of the UN Security Council, where Russia is a permanent member.
Moscow and Pyongyang have officially denied such plans.
Putin dropped numerous hints that military cooperation was discussed with Kim but was short on details. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was feted in North Korea in July, attended the talks.
Putin also claimed Russia complied with international rules but that there were opportunities to explore.
When asked by Russian media if Moscow would help Kim develop its satellite program, Putin replied: “That’s why we came here.”
Putin, however, played coy and gave an evasive answer when responding to a question about military cooperation.
“There are certain restrictions, Russia is following all of them,” he said. “There are things we can talk about, we’re discussing, thinking. Russia is a self-sufficient country, but there are things we can bring attention to, we’re discussing them.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Moscow had to tread carefully.
“Any form of cooperation of any country with North Korea must respect the sanctions regime that was imposed by the Security Council,” Guterres told reporters.
Putin said Kim now planned to continue his tour of Russia on his own by visiting military and civilian aviation factories in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and to inspect Russia’s Pacific fleet in Vladivostok.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Pyongyang for additional talks next month, the Kremlin said, but Putin has no immediate plans to travel to North Korea.
As Kim’s slow-moving olive-green was chugging through the forests of Russia, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from an area near Pyongyang into the sea off its east coast.
It was the first such launch by the North while Kim was abroad, analysts said.
Kim could have ordered the launches to make a point to Putin about North Korea’s defense posture and show that he remains in control of the country’s military activities even while away from Pyongyang, said Moon Seong Mook, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.
With Post wires
