Putin Visits North Korea Amid Landmine Casualties, Arms Trade
Submitted by MAGA
Posted 93 days ago
Russian strongman Vladimir Putin arrived in Pyongyang for his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, just hours after landmines reportedly killed North Korean troops working near the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
South Korean military officials reported "multiple explosions" that "maimed or killed" North Koreans who were "clearing land and carrying out mine-related operations" in or near the DMZ. The statement did not provide further details about the explosions or casualties, although it said smoke from the explosions could be seen on closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras.
South Korea warned in April that North Korea had been planting landmines on all of the roads leading through the DMZ since relations between the two Koreas grew more tense in 2024. The mines appeared to be one of several angry symbolic gestures Pyongyang made to indicate that peaceful "reunification" was no longer the goal of the regime.
In remarks before his departure, Putin said he would thank North Korea for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and congratulate its rulers for successfully evading Western sanctions. The United States and South Korea suspect North Korea has also been providing Russia with large quantities of artillery shells and other munitions for use against Ukraine, a claim that North Korea has denied.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in a recent interview that North Korea could have shipped as many as 5 million shells and dozens of ballistic missiles to Russia. Shin has said that Russia, in return, has been easing North Korea's economic hardships by sending containers likely filled with food and other aid.
Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the leaders may sign a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that will replace earlier bilateral treaties. However, North Korea watchers in South Korea and the U.S. doubt the relationship will expand much further from the current transactions.
The upcoming visit will likely be a kind of political lip service, says Cho Han-bum, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a government think tank in Seoul. It can help Putin keep Kim Jong Un's support during the prolonged war, while elevating Kim's stature at home and abroad, he says.
Once the war in Ukraine ends, North Korea will no longer be important to Russia, says Cho. The volume of trade between Russia and North Korea is minimal compared with Russia's trade with South Korea or North Korea's trade with China.
Relations with South Korea are part of the reason Russia would be careful about making major offerings to the North, such as advanced military technology transfers or a mutual defense treaty, according to an analysis by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank affiliated with South Korea's top intelligence agency.
Even if the two countries agree to a higher level of military cooperation, they would be reluctant to formalize or announce it, says Jenny Town, the director of the Korea Program at the Stimson Center, a foreign affairs think tank in Washington, D.C.
Not only are many of North Korea's military activities under sanctions, but also the country stresses self-reliance and shuns appearing dependent on other countries.
Still, Russia and North Korea may see each other's value as a strategic partner in their opposition to the U.S.-led world order, especially given China's elusiveness, says Town.
"Russia is willing to be bold, is trying to upend the system," she says, "whereas China is still trying to be part of that system and trying to have some governance role in that system."
With an intensifying arms race and eroding international norms, Town says bringing North Korea back to denuclearization negotiations will be much harder for the U.S. and its allies.
Sources:
breitbart.com
humanevents.com
npr.org
South Korean military officials reported "multiple explosions" that "maimed or killed" North Koreans who were "clearing land and carrying out mine-related operations" in or near the DMZ. The statement did not provide further details about the explosions or casualties, although it said smoke from the explosions could be seen on closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras.
South Korea warned in April that North Korea had been planting landmines on all of the roads leading through the DMZ since relations between the two Koreas grew more tense in 2024. The mines appeared to be one of several angry symbolic gestures Pyongyang made to indicate that peaceful "reunification" was no longer the goal of the regime.
In remarks before his departure, Putin said he would thank North Korea for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and congratulate its rulers for successfully evading Western sanctions. The United States and South Korea suspect North Korea has also been providing Russia with large quantities of artillery shells and other munitions for use against Ukraine, a claim that North Korea has denied.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in a recent interview that North Korea could have shipped as many as 5 million shells and dozens of ballistic missiles to Russia. Shin has said that Russia, in return, has been easing North Korea's economic hardships by sending containers likely filled with food and other aid.
Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the leaders may sign a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that will replace earlier bilateral treaties. However, North Korea watchers in South Korea and the U.S. doubt the relationship will expand much further from the current transactions.
The upcoming visit will likely be a kind of political lip service, says Cho Han-bum, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a government think tank in Seoul. It can help Putin keep Kim Jong Un's support during the prolonged war, while elevating Kim's stature at home and abroad, he says.
Once the war in Ukraine ends, North Korea will no longer be important to Russia, says Cho. The volume of trade between Russia and North Korea is minimal compared with Russia's trade with South Korea or North Korea's trade with China.
Relations with South Korea are part of the reason Russia would be careful about making major offerings to the North, such as advanced military technology transfers or a mutual defense treaty, according to an analysis by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank affiliated with South Korea's top intelligence agency.
Even if the two countries agree to a higher level of military cooperation, they would be reluctant to formalize or announce it, says Jenny Town, the director of the Korea Program at the Stimson Center, a foreign affairs think tank in Washington, D.C.
Not only are many of North Korea's military activities under sanctions, but also the country stresses self-reliance and shuns appearing dependent on other countries.
Still, Russia and North Korea may see each other's value as a strategic partner in their opposition to the U.S.-led world order, especially given China's elusiveness, says Town.
"Russia is willing to be bold, is trying to upend the system," she says, "whereas China is still trying to be part of that system and trying to have some governance role in that system."
With an intensifying arms race and eroding international norms, Town says bringing North Korea back to denuclearization negotiations will be much harder for the U.S. and its allies.
Sources:
breitbart.com
humanevents.com
npr.org
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