Is North Korea Russia's boss? ... 'Latecomer' Putin Has Changed

Putin Arrives at Meeting Venue 30 Minutes Earlier Than Kim Jong-un
Growing Interest in Unusual Move, Not 'Putin Time'

One of the key points to watch in the North Korea-Russia summit held for the first time in over four years was the changed behavior of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is famously known for being habitually late. President Putin unusually arrived 30 minutes early to show respect to North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. Analysts suggest this reflects Russia's 'urgent stance' amid shortages of military supplies due to the Ukraine war and its isolation in the international community.

Chairman Kim and President Putin met on the 13th (local time) at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia. This was their first meeting in 4 years and 5 months since the summit in Vladivostok in April 2019. The North Korea-Russia summit focused on strengthening cooperation in various fields, including arms trade.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un, who is visiting Russia, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 13th (local time) at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News

When asked whether Russia would assist North Korea's satellite development, President Putin said, "That is why we came here," adding, "Chairman Kim shows great interest in rocket technology. They are striving to develop their excellent programs." At the North Korea-Russia summit, Chairman Kim emphasized, "We have always fully supported President Putin and the Russian leadership's decisions," and "We will stand together in fighting imperialism and building sovereign states."

Notably, President Putin arrived unusually early at this North Korea-Russia summit. He reached the Vostochny Cosmodrome, the summit venue, 30 minutes before Chairman Kim. Unlike the usual perception that tardiness at summits is a major diplomatic faux pas, President Putin has used lateness as a diplomatic strategy, a kind of power play to assert his authority or gain an upper hand in talks.

However, at this summit, President Putin showed a contrasting behavior to the so-called 'Putin Time.' Some interpret this as a sign that North Korea holds a favorable position in North Korea-Russia relations.

On the 14th, Seong Il-jong, a member of the People Power Party, explained on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" that "Russia is still stuck in the quagmire of the Ukraine war," and "Moreover, the compatibility between the former Soviet military weapons system that Russia needs and North Korea's is quite high, so Russia desperately needs support for weapons including North Korean ammunition. Therefore, North Korea should be considered the dominant party now."

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un (front row, right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (front row, left) are talking on the 13th (local time) at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russian Far East. On this day, Chairman Kim left a message in the guestbook saying, "The glory of Rossiya (Russia), which gave birth to the first conquerors of space, will be immortal," and then inspected the main facilities of the cosmodrome with President Putin. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Meanwhile, President Putin's reputation as a 'habitual latecomer' is widely known on the international diplomatic stage, and some leaders have used this to their advantage. At the 2019 North Korea-Russia summit, President Putin arrived 30 minutes late, but Chairman Kim appeared even later, making Putin wait.

President Putin also engaged in a 'lateness competition' with former U.S. President Donald Trump. At the U.S.-Russia summit held in 2018 at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, President Putin arrived 35 minutes late. Anticipating Putin's tardiness, former President Trump appeared 20 minutes later than Putin, causing the actual meeting to start 70 minutes late.

In 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an made President Putin wait for about 50 seconds. At the time, Putin was visiting Iran, and his discomfort while waiting for President Erdo?an was captured, becoming a topic of interest.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.