Putin + Kim Summit: Military Cooperation, Space Exploration, Challenging US Sanctions Together

In a meeting held at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea Chairman Kim Jong Un engaged in extensive discussions.

According to Dr. Kiyul Chung, the editor-in-chief at the 4th Media and a retired Tsinghua University professor, this meeting holds immense historical and geopolitical significance. Dr. Chung asserts that the 2023 DPRK-Russia Summit marks the emergence of a 21st-century multipolar world that opposes imperialism and promotes self-determination.

“Now today’s historic 2023 DPRK-Russia Summit at Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia first and foremost highlights one of the most significant geopolitical and geostrategic importances. The 2023 Summit itself powerfully culminates, defines, embodies, and witnesses the arrival of the anti-imperialist and self-determined multipolar world of the 21st century.”

The decision to convene the meeting at Russia’s spaceport symbolizes the two nations’ commitment to future collaboration in space exploration and advanced technologies, despite Western pressures. Dr. Chung points out that both North Korea and Russia face various threats from the Western-dominated unipolar world order, including threats to their very existence.

Vladimir Putin acknowledged that the meeting with Kim Jong Un is taking place at a crucial time, as the DPRK recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. Kim expressed gratitude for the invitation from Putin and emphasized that Moscow holds a top priority in Pyongyang’s international relations. The North Korean leader also highlighted the importance of their strategic ties and their joint efforts to protect sovereign rights and establish lasting peace in the region and worldwide.

The historical cooperation between Russia and North Korea dates back to the early Cold War years when the Soviet Union and North Korean military supported DPRK’s independence during the Korean War.

Currently, the DPRK is interested in collaborating with Russia in aviation, transportation, infrastructure, and space exploration. The possibility of military-technical cooperation between the two nations is also under consideration.

“Comrade Putin and I just discussed in depth the military-political situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe and came to a satisfactory consensus on further strengthening strategic and tactical cooperation, supporting solidarity in the struggle for the protection of the sovereign right of security, for creating guarantees of lasting peace in the region, and throughout the world.” 

Kim Jong Un, State Dinner with Russian officials

In the course of their meeting, Kim once again expressed his backing for Moscow’s unique military operation aimed at demilitarizing and removing Nazi influence from Ukraine.

He emphasized that North Korea would consistently support Russia in its struggle against imperialism, making a direct allusion to NATO’s involvement in Eastern Europe. Kim also highlighted his intention, along with his Russian counterpart, to establish enduring, forward-looking, and stable relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Dr. Chung believes that the Kim-Putin summit aims to counteract and neutralize the US-led nuclear war games in the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine. Additionally, the summit challenges the Western-imposed sanctions on both nations by strengthening economic cooperation between them.

“Today’s summit in Russia is the defiant denunciation, disregard, and complete rejection of illegal economic sanctions regimes of all sorts the US-led unipolar imperial powers have unilaterally wielded for decades. By the way, the latter Russia is one of the latest and by far ‘the most far-reaching’ cases. According to the most recent news reports about the US/West-led UN sanctions against DPRK, Russia apparently intends to dismantle the [sanctions] regime by strengthening both nations’ economic cooperation at all levels.”

Western media has closely followed the Kim-Putin meeting, raising concerns about potential arms deals and technological advancements for North Korea. However, the Kremlin emphasized that the cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is for the benefit of their peoples and should not concern third-party states.

Dmitry Peskov underlined that all other matters are specific to Russia and North Korea, and third nations should not view them as subjects of concern. Their collaboration is driven by the shared goal of benefiting the people of both countries and is not directed against anyone else.

Dr. Chung concludes that the summit demonstrates the declining dominance of the US while a new multipolar world, free from Washington’s influence, is taking shape.

He traces the roots of this development back to the 2000 summit between President Putin and Chairman Kim Jong Il, where they laid the foundations for a multipolar world based on equality, mutual respect, and friendly cooperation.

“Today’s Kim-Putin Summit in Russia which can be interpreted as an assessment is kind of a recommitment as a rededication, reevaluation, and revelation of that historic 2000 Summit in Korea which I argue laid the most significant historic foundations of the anti-imperialist and self-determined multipolar world in the 21st century, 23 years ago for the sake of the future of the whole humanity.”

The 2023 Kim-Putin Summit can be seen as a reaffirmation of these principles for the future of humanity in the 21st century.