North Korea-Russia international sanctions military alliance exceeds China-US economic cooperation system and ‘dominance’ of international weapons
North Korea and Russia have moved from an anti-American community in response to U.S.-led economic sanctions to a military industry alliance and an international arms production system that exceeds the economic cooperation system between China and the United States.
National Security Office Director Jang Ho-jin announced on the 16th that his policy in response to the North Korea-Russia summit was to stick to the policy of ‘strengthening Korea-China relations’, saying that it was an accidental closeness between North Korea and Russia due to the war in Ukraine and that it was not at the stage of ‘North Korea-China-Russia cooperation structure’.
In an international production structure in which China and the United States cannot escape the framework of the economic cooperation system, North Korea begins to build a community with Russia in response to U.S.-led economic sanctions, and President Putin continues his visit to Vietnam, where the North Korea-US summit collapsed in Pyongyang.
In an article in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun on the 18th, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "We will develop a trade and reciprocal payment system that is not controlled by the West and jointly oppose unilateral and illegal restrictive measures," calling for "establishing a system for developing economic sanctions and national alliances." revealed.
At a press conference last month, President Putin said that weapons production increased significantly during the 'special military operation' (invasion) of Ukraine, with production of missiles and artillery weapons increasing more than 22 times, electronic warfare equipment and reconnaissance systems 15 times, ammunition and strike weapons 14 times, and The increase in weapons production was announced, with aviation and drones each increasing four-fold.
During his visit to Russia last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited sensitive Russian space and military facilities with President Putin and said to him, "A toast to the sacred struggle against the evil hordes of the West."
Immediately after his visit to North Korea on the 18th, President Putin visited Hanoi on the 19th and visited Vietnam directly from Pyongyang as a follow-up measure to the 'breakdown in negotiations' due to the 'hard-secret facility' that Chairman Kim raised as an issue with President Trump at the second North Korea-US summit in February 2019. Going for a visit.
On the 3rd, the IAEA announced the ‘resumption of experiments’ regarding the secret facility in Kangseong, and the undisclosed facility in Kangseong was presumed to be a secret uranium enrichment facility with several centrifuges.
John Erath, senior policy director at the U.S. Arms Control and Nonproliferation Center, told VOA (Voice of America) on the 17th, “The fact that Russia, the world’s largest arms producer and arms exporter, is dependent on North Korea for ammunition and supplies in the first place is a serious situation in itself.” He said, “It is proof that something is wrong,” and that nuclear warhead miniaturization technology “could be part of what North Korea demands from Russia.”
On the 17th, Sweden's Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an arms market research institute, released its annual report for 2024, which estimates that the number of nuclear warheads North Korea possesses as of this year is 50.
This figure, announced the day before President Putin's visit to North Korea, is an increase of 20 units in one year from the estimated 30 units last year.
After Chairman Kim Jong-un said at an important party congress in December 2022 to "drastically increase nuclear bomb stockpiles," he ordered officials at the Nuclear Weapons Research Institute, which oversees nuclear development, to expand production of fissile materials in March last year.
North Korea then unveiled the nuclear warhead 'Volcano 31', which is believed to be used in tactical nuclear weapons.
North Korea's weapons system has focused on developing several types of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles expected to be equipped with the Volcano-31, including short-range missiles called 'super-large rocket artillery', and has continued launch tests and attempted to enter the international arms market. did.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi announced at the regular board meeting held in Vienna, USA on the 3rd that the construction of the 'Gangseong' nuclear power plant building near Pyongyang began at the end of February, and that "the total available floor area has been greatly expanded and it has been completed in appearance."
Kangseong, which was pointed out by the IAEA, was presumed to be a secret uranium enrichment facility with several centrifuges, and in February 2019, in Hanoi, Chairman Kim attempted to 'negotiate on dismantlement', and President Trump raised the issue of the existence of the secret Kangseong facility, leading to negotiations being broken. It broke down, and President Putin will visit Vietnam after Pyongyang.
National Security Office Director Jang Ho-jin said on the 6th, "President Putin's visit this time is bound to be seen by many as proof that Russia is disappointed because of the war in Ukraine." He added, "The Korea-China diplomatic and security dialogue is being held at a time when President Putin's visit to North Korea is being discussed." "I think this itself proves that the recent situation is not a union of North Korea, China and Russia," he said, revealing his strategy to respond to the North Korea-Russia summit through Korea-China diplomacy.
On this day, Director Jang said on Yonhap News TV, "We have communicated a warning to the Russians not to cross a certain line. When the war in Ukraine is over, I think we need to think carefully about which is more important and necessary between South and North Korea. “It was nothing more than an accidental closeness between North Korea and Russia due to the war in Ukraine, and it was not at the stage of ‘North Korea-China-Russia cooperation structure,’ so it stuck to the policy of ‘strengthening Korea-China relations.’
The joint declaration of the Korea-China-Japan summit said on the 27th of last month, "We reaffirm our support for an open, transparent, inclusive, non-discriminatory, rules-based multilateral trading system centered on the World Trade Organization (WTO)."
On the day of the Korea-China-Japan summit in Seoul aimed at the North Korea-Russia summit, North Korea notified Japan's Coast Guard in the early morning that it would "launch a satellite between 0:00 a.m. on the 27th and 0:00 a.m. on the 4th of next month," and the joint declaration by the leaders of Korea, China, and Japan was "3 “We will continue discussions to speed up negotiations for national FTAs (Free Trade Agreements),” he said.