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The alliance of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin is considered dangerous by the West. Photo/Reuters
MOSCOW – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s plans to visit Russia this month have raised concerns among the United States (US) and its allies.
Kim Jong Un and President Vladimir Putin intend to discuss the possibility of North Korea providing weapons to Moscow to support its war in Ukraine. On the surface, an arms deal between North Korea and Russia makes transactional sense.
Here are 5 dangers of Putin and Kim Jong Un’s alliance.
1. Russia Needs Weapons, North Korea Needs Money
Photo/Reuters
Moscow urgently needs weapons, especially ammunition and artillery shells, for the war in Ukraine, and Pyongyang has both.
On the other hand, North Korea, lacking sanctions, is in dire need of money and food. Border closures for more than three years, not to mention the breakdown of negotiations with the United States in 2019, have left the country more isolated than ever.
But behind that, this opens up the potential for Pyongyang and Moscow to start working together more closely. The US has been warning about a possible arms deal between the two countries for some time, but a leadership-level meeting between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin took things more seriously.
While the US priority, certainly in the short term, appears to be stopping North Korea’s use of weapons on the front lines in Ukraine, the worry in Seoul is what North Korea will get in return for its arms sales to Russia. .
When Russia is in a desperate situation, Kim will be able to exact a heavy price. Perhaps he could demand increased military support from Russia.
Photo: Russian Defense Minister: 66,000 Ukrainian Soldiers Killed in Counterattack
2. China, North Korea and Russia Alliance Strengthens
Photo/Reuters
South Korea’s intelligence service briefed that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had suggested Russia, China and North Korea hold joint naval exercises, similar to those conducted by the US, South Korea and Japan, which Kim Jong Un strongly despises.
3. Transfer of Russian Weapons Technology to North Korea
Kim may also be able to use Russian weapons in the future.
But by far the most worrying request Kim could make is for Putin to provide him with advanced weapons technology or know-how, to help him make a breakthrough in his nuclear weapons program. It still struggles to control key strategic weapons, especially spy satellites and nuclear-armed submarines.