Russia and North Korea’s Increasingly Intertwined Alliance

Meeting between North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov. Photo Credit: Russian Foreign Ministry Press
Service telegram channel via AP.

Nick Tocco
The America-Eurasia Center
East Asia Program
International Security Program
www.EurasiaCenter.org

Russia and North Korea Exchange Weapons With One Another
Russia and North Korea are Increasingly Supporting Each Other

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hu shaking hands.
Photo Credit: Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service telegram channel via AP.

On September 19, 2023, Kevin Zhang published an amazing article for the Eurasia-America
Center regarding a summit between North Korea and Russia. During this meeting, held on
September 12, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un reaffirmed their cooperation with one another in
light of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. North Korea had been providing artillery in
exchange for acquiring knowledge on satellites. Aside from the obvious implications of two
authoritarian nations forging closer relations, this terrified Western leaders. There are also
numerous violations of UN agreements to consider. However, no official agreements or alliances
were made between the two nations at this meeting.¹ “The emerging collaboration between these
two nations presents a complex challenge for the United States now that it must deal with potential
North Korean weapons on the Ukrainian front and a belligerent state armed with Russian
technology in Asia-Pacific.”²

Approximately a month later, it seems that Russia and North Korea have become even
closer and seem to be on the brink of formally making an alliance. On October 13, the White House
declared that North Korea sent more than 1,000 containers of munitions and military equipment to
help Russia in its fight against Ukraine, thereby confirming the suspicions regarding the meeting
between the two nations last month. The munitions had been shipped between September 7 and
October 1.³ Several days after these munitions had been sent, in the North Korean capital of
Pyongyang, the foreign minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, met Kim Jong-un and his top diplomat,
Choe Son Hui. The trip aimed to “focus on how to boost the countries’ defense ties following a
September summit between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.”⁴

Kim Jong Un expressed his commitment to continue the agreements between Russia and
North Korea in September. Son Hui and Lavrov agreed to future exchanges in 2024 and 2025.
These exchanges were decided upon due to the mutual desire amongst both nations to stand against
what they deemed to be the aggressive United States and its allies.⁵ In other words, the meeting
held in September is only the beginning as both the leaders of Russia and North Korea have
discussed the prospect of forming alliances in all areas, not just in the military area but economic
ones as well. Making things even worse, the North Korean acquisition of Russian weapons could
threaten to destabilize East Asia. “The recent flurry of diplomacy between Russia and North Korea
underscores how their interests are aligning in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations
with the United States-North Korea over its advancing nuclear program and Russia over its war
with Ukraine.”⁶ Choe Son Hui declared that the alliance forged between the two nations should be
unbreakable. At the same time, Lavrov expressed Russia’s full support of Kim Jong Un’s regime as
a token of thanks for his explicit support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.⁷

This cooperation is nothing new given how the relations between the two nations date back
to the Cold War, with the Soviet Union having installed Kim Il Sung, the first ruler of North Korea.
Throughout the remainder of the Soviet Union, it helped financially prop up North Korea. Thus,
one can see how the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea is a restoration of Cold
War-era tensions between democracies and autocracies.⁸ However, there is still uncertainty
regarding how successfully close these two nations will become and whether or not Putin will visit
Pyongyang.⁹ In light of all these events, John Kirby, the spokesperson for the White House Security
Council, condemned North Korea’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.¹⁰ Russia has
adamantly refuted claims made by the United States regarding its receiving of weapons from North
Korea. According to Kirby, North Korea has been giving Russia these weapons in exchange for
acquiring Russian technology needed to enhance its nuclear program.¹¹ Adding to the already high
international tensions, the United States and South Korea have been conducting military exercises
in the Korean peninsula, along with conducting exercises with Japan.¹² In response, North Korea
has expressed its disapproval of the joint exercises conducted by the U.S. and South Korea in
addition to the presence of American “strategic assets.” It views these acts as being provocative,
going as far as to accuse the U.S. and South Korea of potentially instigating nuclear war.¹³

It is undeniably apparent that the possibility of North Korea and Russia forging a formal
alliance where they can collectively combine their resources to expand their respective spheres of
influence is a terrifying concept. It is difficult to say how tensions could be lowered. The best
action would be for America and South Korea to conduct their exercises carefully. In addition,
America should ensure the steadfastness of its alliances in Europe and Asia to combat the potential
alliance of North Korea and Russia.

Kevin Zhang, “Potential Arms Deal? Russia-North Korea Summit in Eastern Russia,” The Eurasia-America Center, September 19, 2023. ↩︎
Kevin Zhang, “Potential Arms Deal? Russia-North Korea Summit in Eastern Russia,” The Eurasia-America Center, September 19, 2023. ↩︎
Aamer Madhani, “US Says North Korea Delivered 1,000 Containers of Equipment and Munitions to Russia for Ukraine War,” AP News, October 13, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-russia-us-munitions-ukraine-war7091eaba254b680888a9b1ec8a68135f. ↩︎
“Russia’s Foreign Minister Offers Security Talks with North Korea and China as He Visits Pyongyang,” AP News, October 19, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-russia-kim-putin-ukraine41e72f8e5577d37b8eb463e3c6d661c7. ↩︎
Hyonhee Shin, “North Korea’s Kim Vows to ‘faithfully’ Fulfil Agreements Made with Russia’s Putin,” Reuters, October 20, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/north-koreas-kim-expresses-resolve-fulfil-agreements-made-withrussias-putin-2023-10-19/. ↩︎
“Russia’s Foreign Minister Offers Security Talks with North Korea and China as He Visits Pyongyang.” ↩︎
“Russia’s Foreign Minister Offers Security Talks with North Korea and China as He Visits Pyongyang.” ↩︎
Madhani, “US Says North Korea Delivered 1,000 Containers of Equipment and Munitions to Russia for Ukraine War.” ↩︎
“Russia’s Foreign Minister Offers Security Talks with North Korea and China as He Visits Pyongyang.” ↩︎
Madhani, “US Says North Korea Delivered 1,000 Containers of Equipment and Munitions to Russia for Ukraine War.” ↩︎
“Russia Dismisses US Claims of North Korea Supplying Munitions to Moscow,” Voice of America, October 20, 2023, https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-dismisses-us-claims-of-north-korea-supplying-munitions-to-moscow-/7320060.html ↩︎
“Russia’s Foreign Minister Offers Security Talks with North Korea and China as He Visits Pyongyang.” ↩︎
Shin, “North Korea’s Kim Vows to ‘faithfully’ Fulfil Agreements Made with Russia’s Putin.” ↩︎