Friendly vow: Russia and North Korea will increase trade volumes
Russia and North Korea plan to resume maritime communication, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Song-hee on July 12. He stressed that Moscow and Pyongyang plan to develop trade and economic activities, including tourism and regional ties. The republic has already prepared the Wonsan resort for the reception of Russian tourists. About how the DPRK is going to replace Turkey for the Russians and what awaits them in this country is in the Izvestia article.
How will North Korea surprise Russians
Flying over the DPRK at night, you can see with your own eyes the unfaithfulness of the old myth about the supposedly dark country. The lights of the cities were clearly visible below, even if they were not as bright as the Chinese settlements.
During the landing, it was possible to consider the venue of the negotiations — the Wonsan resort. It looked like Las Vegas from the movies: huge buildings of unusual shape, illuminated in different colors.
The resort officially opened at the end of June, and the hotel where the Izvestia correspondent lived was opened just a week ago. Nevertheless, there are already guests from the Russian Federation here. Wonsan is aimed at the Russian tourist, even the menu in the restaurant has been translated only into Russian.
In the morning, groups of local tourists are visible on the street. Women with umbrellas from the sun, children in T-shirts with the national flag took photos and talked cheerfully about something. Some went to the sea with beach accessories. The city has impressed with its perfect cleanliness, fresh highways and bike paths shine in the sun. The beach has all the necessary infrastructure: changing rooms, storage rooms, garbage cans. The length of the local sandy beach is 4 km. The Izvestia correspondent also swam in the warm waters of the Sea of Japan (in the DPRK it is called the Eastern Sea).
In general, the new resort is in no way inferior to similar recreational spaces in Turkey or the Russian south. The main obstacles for the beaches of North Korea to replace the Turkish coast for Russians are the lack of stable Internet and the availability of a visa regime, as well as transport difficulties. The problem of access to the world Wide Web is particularly sensitive: so far, this benefit of modern civilization is very lacking. Nevertheless, the tourist flow from Russia is growing: in the first five months it has tripled compared to the pre-2019, a diplomatic source told Izvestia.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to the DPRK Alexander Matsegora noted that in addition to direct flights from Vladivostok, it is necessary to launch a ferry that will take Russian tourists on vacation in 10-15 hours.
— Given that ordinary Russians and North Korean citizens have been isolated from each other for a long time, there was little mutual awareness. The coronavirus pandemic has also contributed to this. The growth of joint projects is encouraging. First of all, neighbors need to understand each other well," Anna Polenova, senior lecturer at the National University of Economics and a visiting lecturer at the National Research University of Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia.
What did the Foreign Ministers of Russia and North Korea agree on?
Talks between Sergey Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Song-hee took place at the Kalmagi Hotel. At the red carpet, the head of Russian diplomacy was greeted by a cheering crowd of ordinary citizens and a girl in a national costume "Joseon" (Joseon is the name of one of the ancient Korean states), who presented Lavrov with a bouquet of flowers. The meeting was organized flawlessly.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov before the start of meetings within the framework of the second round of the Russian-Korean strategic dialogue at the level of foreign ministers in Wonsan
The place of negotiations has a special significance for the history of the two countries. At the end of the 19th century, the city was also known by the Russian name Lazarev Port. In addition, Wonsan was liberated by the Red Army in 1945. By helping to liberate the Kursk region from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Pyongyang is paying tribute to the Soviet soldiers who fell for the liberation of Korea from the Japanese militarists.
The participation of North Korean military personnel in the liberation of the Kursk region confirms the fraternal nature of relations between Moscow and Pyongyang, the Russian Foreign Minister said at the beginning of the talks. Choi Song-hee, in turn, said that Pyongyang would "unconditionally and invariably support Russia's policy of protecting sovereignty."
"During the first round of our strategic negotiations, you described our new basic strategic agreement as a solid foundation for an invincible combat brotherhood. This assessment of yours has been visibly confirmed in the direct practical sense of your words in the Kursk region," said Sergey Lavrov.
Following the talks, the ministers signed an inter-ministerial exchange plan for 2025-2027. The parties noted the allied nature of the relations, but there is room for their strengthening. The new document contains tasks for coordinating the work of departments. In particular, the 12th meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation is expected. The goal is to increase the volume of trade.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Song-hee during the signing of the plan for inter-ministerial exchanges for 2026-2027
The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that the DPRK leadership fully supports all the goals of the Russian defense. Moscow, in turn, understands the reasons why Pyongyang is developing its nuclear program.
It is also expected to create a monument in memory of the KPA fighters who died during the liberation of the Kursk region. In addition, it is planned to perpetuate the memory of our military brotherhood during the Second World War, Sergey Lavrov said, answering a question from a correspondent of Izvestia.
— A resolution against the glorification of Nazism is adopted annually in the General Assembly. North Korea is an active co—author. North Korea also co-sponsored another of our initiatives to hold a special meeting of the General Assembly on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II. It was decided to hold such meetings every five years. This is also a very important opportunity to promote our common principles," the Russian Foreign Minister replied.
At the same time, the actions of South Korea, the United States and Japan do not yet speak about the prospects for resolving the situation in the region. The Russian Federation will assist in the dialogue between Pyongyang and Seoul only on those issues in which the DPRK is interested. The statements by US President Donald Trump and South Korean leader Lee Jae-myung about the need to resume contacts with North Korea have not yet been followed by concrete measures, instead, the trilateral format of Seoul, Tokyo and Washington continues to strengthen, including exercises with a nuclear component.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a meeting in Wonsan
At the end of the day, Sergey Lavrov was received by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He noted that the Russian Foreign Minister was the first foreign guest at the outdoor resort, and said that he had decided to meet there because Lavrov had recently been "very active in foreign policy," and in Wonsan he would be able to "relax a little." Vladimir Putin conveyed a message to Kim Jong-un in which he expressed hope for continued direct contacts in the very near future, Lavrov said at a meeting with the DPRK leader.
How are relations between Russia and North Korea strengthening
Moscow and Pyongyang have become noticeably closer in recent years, although previously relations between the two countries had experienced different times. The USSR supported the DPRK during the Korean War of 1950-1953, and then supplied cheap energy resources. After 1991, the two countries cooled down towards each other, although the visits of the heads of state continued. Russia was also a participant in the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear program. It is known that the deal, as in the case of Iran, could not be concluded: Pyongyang has created its own nuclear weapons and their carriers. Against the background of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, North Korea is probably pleased with the earlier decision to acquire a nuclear arsenal.
Combat training of North Korean military personnel who participated in the liberation of the Kursk region
Cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang reached a new level after the start of its cooperation in 2022. Russia accelerated its turn to the East after the confrontation with the West over Ukraine. The DPRK also got the opportunity to increase cooperation with one of the world's centers of power.
Vladimir Putin's visit to the DPRK in June 2024 became a landmark milestone. Then the parties signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. Fulfilling Article 4 of the agreement, the soldiers of the Korean People's Army helped in the liberation of the Kursk region from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This fact became the foundation of a new friendship between the Russian Federation and the DPRK. The Russian leader honored North Korean officers at the Victory Day Parade on May 9 in Moscow. And the leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong-un, participated in the funeral of the fallen soldiers of his army.
— The consistency with which the DPRK sided with Russia in the international arena underscores the commonality of views. Pyongyang's support for Moscow on the Ukrainian issue is only the most notable example, but in fact there are many more, they affect a whole range of international issues," said Anna Polenova.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024
We can talk about the enormous benefits of cooperation opportunities in other areas: the increased trust between Russia and the DPRK in recent years will allow us to expect the implementation of important joint initiatives.
—The launch of several projects at once, primarily the start of work on the construction of a railway bridge across the Tumangan River, the interest of the North Korean side in cooperation with the Russian regions, and an extremely active exchange of delegations — all this suggests that in the near future we will be able to see a sharp increase in cooperation in other areas," Anna Polenova summed up.
The expansion of economic cooperation with the Russian Federation is of great interest to the DPRK, especially given the republic's high dependence on trade with China. North Korea needs energy supplies from Russia, primarily oil and petroleum products. The country does not have its own oil and gas reserves. North Korea's agriculture needs potash and phosphorus fertilizers, which Pyongyang could import from Russia. Amid the construction boom, North Korea needs to supply certain types of building materials, Lyudmila Zakharova, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the ISSA RAS, told Izvestia.
North Korea is also interested in implementing joint projects with Russian companies, which are expected to attract capital and use modern technologies.
— For Russia, the DPRK may be of interest as a market for industrial and agricultural goods for domestic companies. In addition, North Korea could become a source of some types of products that are supplied to the Far East from the European part of Russia or other countries. For example, these are apples and pears," the expert noted.
Lyudmila Zakharova stressed that in the conditions of labor shortage in Russia, workers from the DPRK are of particular interest to domestic companies, however, due to the current sanctions of the UN Security Council, their employment opportunities in the Russian Federation are limited.
The mutual interest in strengthening relations primarily lies in the creation of an alternative center of power, the demand for which is now clearly visible. In the struggle for influence, in addition to the material dimension, shared normative ideas about the structure of world politics are of great importance. Now the values of Russia and the DPRK largely overlap, Anna Polenova summarized.
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