Jeju Peace Institute

WOO Pyung Kyun(HK Research Professor, Hanyang University)

Economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia began to accelerate in 2013 following the completion of Rejin Railway Modemization Project. Their bilateral relations have become closer in the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014.

Aside from their bilateral economic cooperation, progress is particularly notable in the exchange of top-tier military personnel, although the details of their cooperation in military matters remain largely shrouded in secrecy.

Despite increased media attention, economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia is faced with fundamental restrictions that hamper the potential for sustainable progress in their joint economic development projects.

Therefore, even though their bilateral relations have made significant progress since 2013, Russia’s leverage on North Korea is limited.

In this context, the bilateral relationship between North Korea and Russia remains fluid despite Russia’s efforts to promote far closer cooperation with North Korea as part of its strategy to survive the current hardships imposed upon it in the wake of its military intervention in Ukraine. However, the fact remains that Russia has traditionally adopted similar approaches to North Korea in line with its Far East development policies in general, and its so-called ‘Korean peninsula project’ in particular.

We must therefore bear in mind that whatever the circumstances, closer relations between North Korea and Russia should be observed not only from an economic but from a military perspective as well.

North Korea is most likely to maintain its value for Russia as long as nationalism remains a core element in the latter’s domestic politics.​