Choo Jae-woo

Now that the public hoopla over North Korea's re-alignment with Russia appears to have faded, it is appropriate to consider the consequences with some objectivity. The June 19 summit in Pyongyang between Kim Jong Un of North Korea and Russian President Vladimir Putin restored the alliance relationship. It supposedly has aroused some sense of discomfort on China’s part according to many observers. This analysis reflects a "zero-sum" perspective on the fluctuations in the trilateral relationships among North Korea, China and Russia. The logic is that as one axis grows closer, the other becomes more distant. The argument is that the North Korea-Russia alliance inevitably has a negative impact on China's influence and monopoly over North Korea. The issue lies in interpreting these points through a perspective that might not fully grasp the nature or historical context of these alliances.

Pundits of North Korean affairs base their claims on many ominous developments in the bilateral relations. China’s ambassador to Pyongynag, for instance, was found to be not in attendance at the military parade on July 27, which celebrated North Korea’s “victory” concerning the Korean War. Those ambassadors from the so-called “friendly nations” like Russia, Vietnam, Mongolia and Nicaragua were all spotted. Allegedly, Kim has recently instructed his diplomats in China not to be too concerned with possible conflicts with China in pursuit of their mission. Recently, it has been confirmed that the monument commemorating the footprints of Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which was installed in 2018 in Dalian, Liaoning Province,........

© The Korea Times