Gifts of lions and bears mask fundamental weakness of Russia-North Korea ties



Columns Gifts of lions and bears mask fundamental weakness of Russia-North Korea ties Despite flurry of activity, recent exchanges show two sides have few areas for meaningful economic cooperation Andrei Lankov December 2, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A lion being transported from Russia to North Korea via cargo plane \| Image: Moscow Zoo via Telegram Russian defense minister Andrei Belousov’s trip to Pyongyang over the weekend was the latest in a flurry of such visits since last year, when Russian military delegations began appearing in Pyongyang with a frequency unseen since the Korean War. There is little doubt that military cooperation between the two countries is growing rapidly, spanning arms trade and since October. But can the same be said of their interactions beyond the military sphere? Russian defense minister Andrei Belousov’s trip to Pyongyang over the weekend was the latest in a flurry of such visits since last year, when Russian military delegations began appearing in Pyongyang with a frequency unseen since the Korean War. There is little doubt that military cooperation between the two countries is growing rapidly, spanning arms trade and since October. But can the same be said of their interactions beyond the military sphere? Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Columns

Gifts of lions and bears mask fundamental weakness of Russia-North Korea ties

Despite flurry of activity, recent exchanges show two sides have few areas for meaningful economic cooperation

Andrei Lankov December 2, 2024

Gifts of lions and bears mask fundamental weakness of Russia-North Korea ties

A lion being transported from Russia to North Korea via cargo plane | Image: Moscow Zoo via Telegram

Russian defense minister Andrei Belousov’s trip to Pyongyang over the weekend was the latest in a flurry of such visits since last year, when Russian military delegations began appearing in Pyongyang with a frequency unseen since the Korean War.

There is little doubt that military cooperation between the two countries is growing rapidly, spanning arms trade and since October. But can the same be said of their interactions beyond the military sphere?

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