On November 29th, Kim Jong un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Council, met with visiting Russian Defense Minister Belousov and his delegation.

Interestingly, just two days ago, South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol met with the Ukrainian Defense Minister’s special envoy to South Korea in Seoul.
Both parties involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict “landed” on the Korean Peninsula before and after, which aroused widespread concern.
North Korea and Russia hold hands, upgrading relations.
From the current reality, North Korea and Russia are facing similar external environments, including sanctions and blockades from the United States and the West, as well as severe geopolitical conflicts and confrontations.
In this context, high-level interactions between North Korea and Russia are frequent, and bilateral relations are rapidly warming up.
In September 2023, Kim Jong un visited Russia.
In June 2024, Putin visited North Korea.
In early November 2024, North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Son hee visited Russia and Putin personally met with her.
At the end of November 2024, Russian Defense Minister Belousov visited North Korea and Kim Jong un personally met with him.
Especially during Putin’s visit to North Korea in June this year, the two sides signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between North Korea and Russia.

Among them, Article 4 of the Treaty stipulates: “In the event that one party is subjected to an armed attack by one or more countries and enters a state of war, the other party shall immediately provide military and other assistance by all means in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and the laws of the Russian Federation and North Korea
In early November, North Korea and Russia respectively ratified the Treaty.
Western media analysis pointed out that the Treaty laid a legal foundation for the entry of North Korean or Russian troops into North Korea for combat.
Russia seeks’ stability ‘, while North Korea seeks’ backing’.
During his meeting with North Korean Defense Minister Nur Gwangtie, Belousov stated that both Russia and North Korea hope to expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty will help stabilize the situation in Northeast Asia.
Nuguang Tieze responded that the arrival of Belousov significantly promoted the development of military relations between North Korea and Russia. The fighting friendship and cooperation between the North Korean and Russian armies are the “highest priority” of both countries.
The approach towards North Korea and Russia ultimately stems from the common strategic interests of the two countries.
For Russia, deepening military cooperation with North Korea is an attempt to use North Korea’s power to contain Japan and South Korea in Northeast Asia, ensuring that the United States will not use Japan and South Korea to stab Russia in the Far East.
At the same time, Russia can also leverage its “quasi military alliance” with North Korea to gain more military support and deploy it on the Ukrainian battlefield.
As for what North Korea refers to as the “fighting friendship between the North Korean and Russian armies”, it varies from person to person.

For North Korea, in the face of continuous provocations from the United States and South Korea, especially South Korea’s drone invasion, its sense of insecurity has become increasingly strong. Recently, it has bombed the roads and railways connecting North and South Korea, deployed eight artillery brigades to the South Korean border, and launched intercontinental missiles
On November 21st, Kim Jong un declared that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula is extremely dangerous, in a state of sharp confrontation, and a destructive nuclear war is imminent.
In this context, North Korea’s expansion of military cooperation with Russia will help enhance its deterrence against the United States and South Korea.
At the same time, North Korea can also leverage Russia’s power to strengthen its backward navy, air defense system construction, and even acquire core military technology.
The biggest variable is still the United States.
Currently, the United States is in a transitional period of presidential power transfer, and the infighting between the two parties has produced significant spillover effects.
On the issue of Russia and Ukraine, the Joe Biden government stepped up its military assistance to Ukraine, striving to preserve the political heritage to the greatest extent, reducing the space for Donald Trump’s follow-up policies, leading to a sharp escalation of the situation in Russia and Ukraine.
On the Korean Peninsula issue, the United States and South Korea have taken frequent actions, interfering heavily in the North Korean regime and human rights issues, attempting to indirectly deny the legitimacy and legality of North Korean sovereignty, further angering North Korea.
Donald Trump, who is about to return to the White House, said that he will end the Russia-Ukraine conflict as soon as possible after taking office, and also offered to meet Kim Jong un again. Therefore, all parties are paying close attention to Donald Trump’s follow-up.

Both Putin and Kim Jong un actually hope to improve their relationship with the United States and change the external difficulties they are currently facing after Trump takes office.
Therefore, the policy trend of the Donald Trump government will have a significant impact on the situation in the Russian Ukrainian battlefield and the peninsula, and the complex pattern of geopolitical games may face a reshuffle.