Showcasing North Korea-Russia Relations... Putin's Surprise Meeting with North Korea's Choe Son-hui on a Holiday

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is strengthening military cooperation with North Korea, met unexpectedly with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on the 4th (local time).

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to TASS and Sputnik News Agency, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, "President Putin welcomed North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, who is on an official working visit to Russia, at the Kremlin."

In the video released by the Kremlin, President Putin warmly greeted Foreign Minister Choe and extended his hand for a handshake, holding hands and conversing for about a minute. Foreign Minister Choe expressed gratitude to President Putin for taking the time for the meeting and, through an interpreter, said it was an honor to convey North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un's "deeply sincere, warm, and friendly greetings."

President Putin also mentioned that the day was Russia's public holiday, "National Unity Day," and welcomed Foreign Minister Choe by saying, "Meeting friends on a holiday is a very good tradition." In response to the greetings conveyed by Foreign Minister Choe, President Putin replied, "I wish him (Chairman Kim Jong-un) well." At the table where President Putin and Foreign Minister Choe sat face to face, one North Korean official, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Kremlin diplomatic aide Yuri Ushakov were also present.

This surprise meeting is interpreted as a "special treatment" by President Putin regarding North Korea's recent troop deployment. Earlier, spokesperson Peskov had stated on the 29th of last month that President Putin had no plans to meet with Foreign Minister Choe. On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed in a speech that 11,000 North Korean troops were stationed in Kursk, Russia. The United States also reported that at least 10,000 soldiers were moving to Kursk and expected them to be combat-ready within days. There are already reports that they have engaged in combat locally.

The Kremlin did not disclose the content of the conversation between President Putin and Foreign Minister Choe on this day. It is possible that, in addition to the issue of North Korean troop deployment, the matter of Chairman Kim's visit to Russia was discussed. After the Russia-North Korea summit in Pyongyang in June, President Putin invited Chairman Kim to visit Moscow. Notably, President Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June was shortly after a meeting between him and Foreign Minister Choe at the Kremlin in January of the same year, leading to speculation that Chairman Kim's visit to Russia could take place next year.

In particular, this meeting, which showcased North Korea-Russia relations, drew attention as it took place one day before the U.S. presidential election. With polls showing a very close race until the last moment, the U.S. policy on Ukraine and its stance on North Korea could change dramatically depending on who is elected as the next U.S. president. Accordingly, there is speculation that President Putin and Foreign Minister Choe may have discussed a joint North Korea-Russia response strategy regarding the U.S. election results.