RUSSIA-KOREA MEET
WHY IN NEWS ?
- Recently it was found that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may travel to Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin.
MORE ABOUT THE NEWS:
- US officials also said that Russia is seeking to buy ammunition from North Korea to refill reserves drained by its war in Ukraine.
- In return, experts said, North Korea will likely want food and energy shipments and transfers of sophisticated weapons technologies.
- A meeting with Putin would be Kim’s first summit with a foreign leader since North Korea closed its borders in January 2020.
RUSSIA’S INTEREST IN NORTH KOREA :
- US officials have suspected that North Korea is providing Russia with artillery shells, rockets and other ammunition, many of which are likely copies of Soviet-era munitions.
- As Russia is facing international sanctions and export controls over its war in Ukraine, Russia has been seeking weapons from other sanctioned countries like North Korea and Iran.
- Korea could swiftly send significant amounts to Russia, because the narrow land link between the countries can handle only a limited amount of rail traffic.
WHAT DOES KOREA SEEKS FROM RUSSIA ?
- According to experts, N Korea’s priorities would be aid shipments, prestige and military technology.
- Pandemic-era border closures have left North Korea with severe economic difficulties.
- Korea is likely to seek supplies of food and energy to address shortfalls.
- Kim will likely also trumpet expanding relations with Moscow as a sign that the country is overcoming its years of isolation.
- North Korean leaders have long valued face-to-face meetings with world leaders as signs of international importance and for domestic propaganda purposes.
- Kim is likely also seeking Russian technology to support his plans to build high-tech weapons systems such as powerful long-range missiles, hypersonic ballistic weapons, nuclear-powered submarines and spy satellites.
SYLLABUS: PRELIMS, CURRENT AFFAIRS
