Kim seems to ride a 20-hour bulletproof train this time… Strict security at the conference venue
Russian government “coordination of places such as Far Eastern Federal University” North Korea demands advanced technology and possibility of economic cooperation
▲ Caricature of Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin In order to break through the escalating pressure on North Korea from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left face) tries to throw a ‘diplomatic game’ that is close to a gamble over four days. On the 9th, on the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the regime (Section 9), Chairman Kim invites high-level delegations from China and Russia to seek solidarity between North Korea, China, and Russia against security cooperation between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. It is expected that he will hold a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) to be held in Vladivostok, Russia on the 12th. The U.S. is poised to go public with arms deals that the U.S. strongly warns will “pay a price.”
A Russian government official told NHK on the 6th (local time), “We are coordinating the North Korea-Russia summit, and we are considering the Far Eastern Federal University on Russky Island off the coast of Vladivostok as a venue.” In fact, on the 7th, it is known that security has become tighter, with police cars and police officers being deployed in the vicinity of Far Eastern Federal University, unlike usual.
Earlier, on the 4th (local time), the New York Times (NYT) of the United States first reported on the plan to hold a North Korea-Russia summit, citing a government official, and Russia, which said it had “nothing to say,” admitted to reviewing the summit for the first time. However, the schedule and location of the summit may change. “The North Korean side has been changing the schedule until now,” said the official.
In particular, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “We have our own relationship with North Korea. We will continue to develop our relationship without considering the opinions of other countries.” This means that he will not be bothered by the repeated pressure from the United States. ▲ Kim Jong-un’s predicted movement route If the summit takes place, Chairman Kim will show off strong solidarity with the Chinese and Russian delegations at the September 9 Civil Military Parade held in Pyongyang, and then travel to Vladivostok by bulletproof train. seems to leave Considering that President Putin attended the EEF plenary session on the same day, Chairman Kim is expected to depart on the 10th at the earliest or the 11th at the latest, in line with the plenary session at 3:00 pm on the 12th. The trip from Pyongyang to Vladivostok takes about 20 hours. A notice board is hung. Vladivostok TASS Yonhap News The Far Eastern Federal University is the location where the North Korea-Russia summit was held in April 2019, so it is highly likely that the North will follow a similar path this time as well. Chairman Kim (pictured) departed Pyongyang the day before the summit on a special train of the Baekdu lineage, the ‘Taeyang-ho’, stopped at Hasan Station in the border area, held a welcome ceremony, and arrived in Vladivostok around 6:00 pm. Chairman Kim has used a special train made of bulletproof material rather than a special plane for security reasons when visiting overseas.
Cho Han-beom, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, analyzed, “It is more than 1,000km by train to Vladivostok, and considering the weight of bulletproof trains and poor railroad conditions, it will take about 20 hours.” There is also a possibility that Chairman Kim and President Putin will visit the Russian Pacific Fleet Command or the ‘Vostochny Cosmodrome’ about 1,500 km away after the summit.
However, since Chairman Kim has no experience in multilateral diplomacy, there is room for a separate meeting after the EEF. Rep. Yoo Sang-beom, secretary of the People’s Power of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, met with reporters after the intelligence committee and told an official from the National Intelligence Service, “We are also thinking about the possibility of making a ‘surprise move’ through a route other than the previously disclosed route due to prior exposure.” He said he heard the explanation. ▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Yonhap News Chairman Kim is expected to become a game changer in the East Asian security landscape through diplomatic moves with China and Russia from Pyongyang to Vladivostok for four days. Instead of taking risks and providing ammunition and shells to Russia, which is an outcast of the international community, it is trying to obtain advanced military technology such as re-entry of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). There is also the possibility of discussing economic cooperation, such as North Korea requesting the dispatch of additional workers, and Russia expanding food and energy exports, as the money flow is blocked due to sanctions against North Korea. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank, analyzed in a report that “North Korea and Russia are likely to expand their scope beyond a one-off arms trade for food and energy to stronger missile cooperation.”
Some raised the possibility that the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, would meet at the EEF, but it was canceled when China announced that it would send a deputy prime minister level person. However, we cannot rule out the possibility of a North Korea-China-Russia summit meeting at the Hangzhou Asian Games starting on the 23rd and the Belt and Road Forum next month. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, predicted, “As the socialist solidarity between North Korea, China and Russia and the free-value solidarity between Korea, the US and Japan are in conflict, a new Cold War will be intensified in Northeast Asia.”
Korea and the U.S. were keenly aware of North Korea’s ‘dangerous bromance’. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Su-seok said at a regular briefing, “North Korea-Russia exchanges and cooperation must be carried out in a way that contributes to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula while complying with UN Security Council resolutions.” U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris defined North Korea as a ‘potential ally’ in an interview with the Associated Press and criticized, “It is ‘reckless’ for Russia to engage in negotiations to purchase weapons for war with North Korea in Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, the president, deputy prime minister, and ministers from the Korean government attended the EEF in the past, but it is known that officials from the local diplomatic mission will be dispatched this time.
Correspondent Yumi Seo and Joongheon Cho in Seoul, Correspondent Correspondent Jaeyeon Lee in Washington
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2023-09-07 17:00:51
