North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership.
According to Yonhap News, media outlets such as Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported that Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin ended a one-on-one meeting that lasted about two hours and thirty minutes at the North Korea-Russia summit on the 19th by signing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement.
In a press release following the meeting, Putin emphasized that the comprehensive partnership agreement they signed includes a provision for providing mutual support if one of the parties faces an emergency.
This interpretation suggests a situation similar to that of 1961, leaving room for military intervention.
At that time, North Korea and the former Soviet Union signed the China-North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance, which included a clause on automatic military intervention in emergencies.
However, some argue that it has not yet reached that level.
The agreement signed by Kim and Putin today will replace the treaties of 1961 and 2000 and the joint declarations issued after the North Korea-Russia summits in Pyongyang and Moscow in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
Kim Jong Un said, “The relationship between the two countries has reached a new high level of alliance,” suggesting the possibility of restoring alliance relations.
However, Putin did not refer to an “alliance.”
Putin announced that he would further develop military cooperation with North Korea, stating that this agreement would help strengthen regional security.
However, he did not elaborate on the meaning of mutual support.
Putin stated that Russia does not rule out the possibility of enhancing military and technical cooperation with North Korea as part of the agreement signed that day. He further mentioned that cooperation in the military field would be possible under the new agreement.
With the signing of the agreement today, the North Korea-Russia relationship has been upgraded from a friendly relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
They are expected to strengthen cooperation in a broader range of areas, including the military field, in the future.
Putin emphasized that it is a “groundbreaking document that reflects the desire of the two countries not to rest on their laurels, but to bring our relations to a new qualitative level” and that it “sets large-scale tasks and benchmarks for deepening Russian-Korean relations in the long term.”
Kim also said, “The relationship between the two countries has been placed on a more excellent prospective track for the advancement of the two countries and the promotion of the welfare of the people through the expansion of good cooperation in various fields such as politics, economy, culture, and military.”
Putin also discussed sports, tourism, education, agriculture, and cultural cooperation with Kim.
The two leaders appeared to have held talks longer than the scheduled time.
Previously, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov predicted on the 17th that the two leaders would hold an expanded meeting attended by staff for about 1 hour and 30 minutes and then have a one-on-one conversation for about an hour.
However, TASS reported that the expanded meeting lasted more than 1 hour and 30 minutes, and the one-on-one meeting lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes.
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