Vladimir Putin has expressed desire to expand Russia’s comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations with North Korea
The President of Russia – Vladimir Putin has written to Supreme Leader of and North Korea – Kim Jong-un expressing desire to expand their comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations.
Putin sent the letter to Kim on the 77th Anniversary of Korea’s Liberation Day. The National Liberation Day of Korea is a holiday celebrated annually on 15 August in both South and North Korea. It commemorates Victory over Japan Day, when the Allied powers liberated Korea from 35 years of Japanese rule.
The Soviet Union was once a major communist ally of North Korea, offering economic co-operation, cultural exchanges and aid. Russian-North Korean relations declined after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, but gradually picked up as Russia’s relations with the West soured in recent years.
Putin said in the letter that the move would be in the interest of both the countries. In turn, Kim said friendship between both nations had been forged in World War Two with victory over Japan.
He also said that the “strategic and tactical cooperation, support and solidarity” between the two countries has since reached a new level, particularly in their common efforts to frustrate threats and provocations from hostile military forces.
Although Kim did not specify the hostile forces by name, but the term has been used repeatedly by North Korea to refer to the United States (U.S.) and its allies. In July 2022, North Korea was one of the few countries that officially recognised two Russian-backed separatist “People’s Republics” in Eastern Ukraine, after Russia signed a decree declaring them as independent. In retaliation, Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian invasion of its territory, cut off all diplomatic ties with Pyongyang. Russian forces are still trying to consolidate their grip on the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but Ukraine is fiercely resisting the offensive.
The Russian Ambassador to North Korea – Alexander Matsegora said that closer co-operation could mean highly skilled, industrious North Korean workers helping to rebuild the damaged infrastructure of Russian-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk.
He also said Pyongyang was keen to get replacement parts for Soviet-era heavy equipment delivered to its factories and power plants from Eastern Ukraine. He said Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, cities still held by Ukrainian forces, were major centres for that equipment.
The Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, USSR, the predecessor state to the Russian Federation) was the first to recognize North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK) on October 12, 1948, shortly after the proclamation, as the sole legitimate authority in all of Korea). During the Korean War, the Korean People’s Army was supported by the Soviet Armed Forces. North Korea was founded as part of the Communist bloc, and received major Soviet military and political support.
