One Year Since the 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty'
North Korean Companies Eye Entry into Russia
Russia Builds Bridge in North Korea
Foreign media have reported that economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia is taking place across various sectors, with North Korean apples being sold in Russian supermarkets and North Korean fishing vessels operating off the Russian Far East coast.
On July 20 (local time), Yonhap News cited the British daily Financial Times (FT), reporting, "More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang in June last year and signed a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty,' the results are gradually becoming visible."
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jongun met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the 12th, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 13th. Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap News
According to the outlet, North Korean companies that produce products such as jam, sausage, beer, and accordions are registering trademarks (IP) with Russian intellectual property authorities in an attempt to enter the Russian market. In addition, Russia is constructing a bridge across the Tumen River in North Korea, with a project valued at $100 million (139.3 billion won). The 10,000-kilometer railway line connecting Moscow and Pyongyang is also set to be restored and reopened, which is expected to further invigorate exchanges between the two countries.
Civil exchanges in academic and cultural fields are also occurring frequently. University presidents from both countries held a meeting in Vladivostok, and after the dispatch of athletes, a Russian theater troupe performed in Pyongyang.
North Korea has provided Russia with a force of approximately 13,000 personnel and 12 million artillery shells, and an additional dispatch of 6,000 engineers and construction workers is also planned. Experts believe that, in return, the Kim Jongun regime has earned several billion dollars (tens of trillions of won) through cash, goods, and technology transfers.
Regarding this North Korea-Russia cooperation, the FT predicted that "it could last even longer than Russia's war effort in Ukraine." The report also described the increasingly strengthened alliance between the two countries as a "deepening of comprehensive economic and military cooperation." Analysts also suggest that this will have a significant impact on strengthening North Korea's resistance to the West and on Russia's ability to secure troops and weaponry.
On the other hand, there are also claims that increased trade with North Korea will not bring significant economic benefits to Russia.
Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University, stated, "The items North Korea exports are not of great interest in Russia, and unlike China, Russian companies lack the know-how to operate businesses with North Korea, so they will face difficulties."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
