North Korea said it had decided to strengthen cooperation in the economic and sports sectors by holding a joint economic committee and sports talks with Russia, but did not disclose specific details. As with the military cooperation already in progress, most of it is likely to be a violation of UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea, so it is interpreted as an intention to avoid criticism from the international community and to avoid external checks during the actual implementation of the agreement.
On the 16th, the Labor Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, announced at the 10th North Korea-Russia Joint Economic Committee held in Pyongyang the previous day that, in accordance with the agreement reached at the North Korea-Russia summit in September, we will revitalize and expand multifaceted exchange and cooperation projects in various fields such as trade, economy, science and technology, etc. It was announced that the issues were discussed and finalized in detail. It was also reported that the ‘Trade, Economy and Science and Technology Cooperation Committee Protocol’ was signed on this day, but no specific discussion or agreement was mentioned.
The newspaper briefly reported that a separate meeting between North Korean and Russian joint economic committee chairs was held separately, but did not disclose details.
After separate meetings, Sports Minister Kim Il-guk and Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matyshin also signed a ‘2024-2026 Exchange Plan’ to expand and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the sports sector, but North Korean media did not report any specific details.
North Korea and Russia have continued to maintain ‘high-intensity’ close contact since last July, but they have consistently kept the contents of various meetings, including summit meetings and foreign ministers’ meetings, strictly private.
As the international community, led by the United States, is watching trends between North Korea and Russia and is keeping an eye on possible violations of UN Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea, there appears to be an aspect of controlling the level of disclosure.
The U.S. White House has already captured through satellite photos the circumstances in which North Korea and Russia are engaging in arms trade, which is a violation of Security Council resolutions, and it is understood that the related trend has continued until recently.
In addition, although North Korea did not mention it, it is highly likely that issues such as economic and logistics cooperation centered on Rajin and Khasan and the dispatch of North Korean workers to Russia were discussed in relation to economic cooperation, all of which are violations of Security Council resolutions.
In addition, there is a possibility that ‘science and technology exchange’, a key agenda of the Joint Economic Committee, may have included discussions on technology transfer related to military reconnaissance satellites. Since ballistic missile technology is also applied to space launch vehicles used for satellite launches, the launch attempt itself is a violation of the Security Council resolution. It applies.
As President Vladimir Putin said to Workers’ Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un during his visit to Russia, “We will help North Korea’s satellite and space development projects,” he is already providing specific help in analysis and improvement measures for North Korea’s two previous military reconnaissance satellite launch failures. There are many analyzes that say this.
As there is a high possibility that the agreement between North Korea and Russia itself is a violation of the Security Council, there is a possibility that the two countries are keeping quiet about the actual agreement. For this reason, it appears that the details of what kind of agreement North Korea has reached with Russia in the future will only be confirmed after exchanges that become visible in the actual implementation stage take place.
In particular, North Korea, which is unable to overcome economic difficulties due to prolonged sanctions against North Korea and a long-term blockade due to COVID-19, is expected to seek to extract maximum benefits from Russia by expanding the scope of cooperation not only militarily but also economically, and Russia is using North Korea to invade Ukraine. It is expected to continue and seek to expand its influence in Northeast Asia.
Since both North Korea and Russia are concerned about their own urgent circumstances, it is analyzed that they are continuing ‘dangerous transactions’ that go beyond various international sanctions or ‘common sense’.
North Korea and Russia signed the ‘2024-2025 Exchange Plan’ at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last month, and this time they signed the ‘Trade, Economy and Science and Technology Cooperation Committee Protocol’ and the ‘2024-2026 Exchange Plan’ in the sports sector, promoting not only cooperation in the military field but also North Korea-Russia. It appears that measures are being prepared to expand and advance the relationship to a ‘new level’ in each field.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.