[Asia Economy Reporters Inho Yoo, Jieun Lee] Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will visit Russia on the 26th for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Attention is focused on whether Minister Chung will request support for a declaration of the end of the war during this visit. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to maintain a critical stance toward the U.S. without showing signs of coming to the dialogue table, while flaunting its blood alliance with China.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Chung will depart for Russia on the morning of the 26th and hold talks with Minister Lavrov on the 27th (local time) to discuss bilateral relations, the Korean Peninsula issue, and ways to enhance practical cooperation. This meeting comes about two weeks after the Korea-Russia senior officials’ talks on North Korea’s nuclear issue held on the 14th, and seven months after the two foreign ministers last met in Korea. It appears to be a continuation of a series of consultations among related countries aimed at bringing North Korea to the dialogue table, following last week’s Korea-U.S.-Japan intelligence chiefs and North Korea nuclear senior officials’ talks.
As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Russia has maintained close communication with North Korea and has shown willingness to play a constructive role in improving inter-Korean relations and resuming North Korea-U.S. talks. At the recent Korea-Russia senior officials’ talks on the North Korean nuclear issue, Russia highly evaluated the “declaration of the end of the war” proposed by President Moon Jae-in, so Minister Chung is expected to request support for the declaration during this meeting as well. However, Professor Kim Hyun-wook of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy said, "Russia is neither a party to the declaration of the end of the war nor likely to persuade the U.S., so it seems difficult for Russia to play a substantial role." After the foreign ministers’ talks, the two ministers will have an official luncheon and jointly attend the closing ceremony of the ‘Year of Korea-Russia Mutual Exchange’ in the afternoon.
While our government has entered a diplomatic competition with surrounding major powers over the Korean Peninsula issue, North Korea has strengthened its ties with China. Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, sent a wreath to the Martyrs’ Cemetery of the Chinese People’s Volunteers Army on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of China’s participation in the Korean War, emphasizing the blood ties between the two countries.
On the 26th, the Korean Central News Agency stated, "The Korean people will never forget the blood and merits shed by the volunteer soldiers who helped our revolution in the trenches that repelled imperialist aggression, and the Korea-China friendship, linked by blood ties, will remain unchanged and grow stronger across generations." Experts interpret this mention by General Secretary Kim as a strategy by North Korea to pressure the trilateral cooperation system of Korea, the U.S., and Japan in the diplomatic competition surrounding the Korean Peninsula issue.
Meanwhile, on the 25th (local time), Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby reaffirmed North Korea’s launch of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on the 19th and urged China’s role by saying, "What we want is for China to use its influence positively."
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