RUSSIAN Defence Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea for talks with North Korean military and political leaders as the countries deepen their alignment over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Belousov, a former economist, replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister in May after Russian President Vladimir Putin started a fifth term in power.
Photos released by Russia’s Defence Ministry yesterday showed Belousov walking alongside North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang-chol on a red carpet laid out at a Pyongyang airport.
North Korean military officials were seen clapping under a banner that read: “Complete support and solidarity with the fighting Russian army and people.”
The visit came days after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met with a Ukrainian delegation led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov in Seoul and called for the two countries to formulate countermeasures in response to North Korea’s dispatch of thousands of troops to Russia in support of its fight against Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in recent months has prioritised relations with Russia as he tries to break out of isolation and strengthen his international footing, embracing the idea of a “new Cold War”.
The United States and its allies have said North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia in recent weeks and that some of those troops were engaging in combat.
North Korea has also been accused of supplying artillery systems, missiles and other military equipment to Russia that may help Russian President Vladmir Putin further extend an almost three-year war.
There are also concerns in Seoul that North Korea in exchange for its troops and arms supplies could receive Russian technology transfers that could potentially advance the threat posed by leader Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile programme.
Yoon’s national security adviser, Shin Won-sik, said in a TV interview last week that Seoul assesses that Russia has provided air defence missile systems to North Korea in exchange for sending its troops.
Shin said Russia has also appeared to have given economic assistance to North Korea and various military technologies, including those needed for the North’s efforts to build a reliable space-based surveillance system.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, South Korea has joined US-led sanctions against Moscow and shipped humanitarian and financial support to Kyiv. — AP
