After Putin’s 72nd birthday, leader of North Korea Kim-Jong Un recently congratulated him, calling the Russian President his “closest comrade”. Relations between North Korea and the Russian Federation have only gotten closer since the beginning of the Ukraine war back in 2022, something that worries the West. Kim has also said that he would be taking steps to increase North Korea’s nuclear power, with the hope of making it a military superpower. Kim also praised the good relations between the two states, saying they had become “invincible and eternal”. Their relationship has remained steadily strong since the beginning of the Cold War, and evidence states Russia has been using North Korean missiles in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. While North Korea is trying to perfect its nuclear arsenal, it is still far behind Russia. Russia will make progress even easier, now that the two have agreed on a mutual defense pact. However, the east Asian state has made surprising progress, a new report by South Korea saying a possible nuclear submarine was in the works.
Russia’s alliance with North Korea is certainly a worry for the West, especially in the Ukraine conflict. However, North Korea is much weaker than Russia, even with its wish to become a powerful military superpower. As a result, North Korea is the main state that benefits from this alliance, now having privileged access to Russia’s military technology. Both states are using the alliance to counteract the pain from Western sanctions, and are offering each other support in the absence of Western aid. Russia is mostly using North Korea tactically, knowing that the totalitarian state will give it military aid if it asks. With the Ukraine war still ongoing, Russia is pushing itself to the limit. It will need support from its allies, and North Korea has proven to be a steadfast friend that it can reliably depend on. The main conflict that this alliance concerns is the war in Ukraine. With North Korean missiles coming in, Russia has more support. Ukraine’s allies may need to prove that they support the state just as much to counteract Putin’s firepower. Considering North Korea has access to Russia’s technology, it will likely use that to its benefit, using the knowledge to improve its nuclear weapons and scientific advancement.
What we are talking about in class right now is the ethics of actions by states. The question is now “should we do this?” For North Korea, the answer is yes. The alliance benefits it in numerous ways. Due to the unipolar power held by the United States, North Korea wishes to challenge that norm by teaming up with Russia. North Korea also has its Western-influenced neighbor South Korea, and Russia will surely provide any protection it needs. Kim Jong Un himself also wishes to increase his power and by extension his country’s power.