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The North Korean state-run Korea Central News Agency reported on Sept. 3 that leader Kim Jong-un had inspected key munitions facilities including the Pukjung Machine Complex. (KCNA/Yonhap)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reportedly planning to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia around mid-September to discuss providing weapons to Moscow, according to a New York Times story quoting unnamed sources from the US and its allies.

With the possibility of the two conducting joint military exercises being raised, it’s likely to fan the flames of tensions on the Korean Peninsula to previously unforeseen levels.

On Monday, the New York Times reported that Kim is expected to visit Vladivostok by train this month for a meeting with Putin, citing these officials. The summit between the two leaders is estimated to take place between Sept. 10 and Sept. 13, coinciding with the Eastern Economic Forum. The sources also said that Kim is planning to visit Russia’s Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok and stop at Vostochny Cosmodrome, located 1,500 kilometers north of the Far Eastern city, while leaving open the possibility of a visit to Moscow.

US officials believe Russia wants to use the summit as an opportunity to purchase shells and antitank missiles from North Korea to use in its war in Ukraine. In return, North Korea is looking to receive advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines as well as food aid, the officials further said.

The US government issued a de facto admission of the NYT’s reporting. “We have information that Kim Jong-un expects these discussions to continue, to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, urging North Korea to “cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia.”

US intelligence officials revealed that they discerned a summit was being planned between North Korea and Russia after becoming aware that 20 North Korean officials visited Moscow by way of Vladivostok in late August. The officials also shared that they became privy to the fact that during Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit to North Korea to attend the country’s “Victory Day” celebration on July 27, marking the signing of the Korean War armistice, Kim proposed greater military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, inviting Putin to visit North Korea, at which point Shoigu made a counterproposal, inviting Kim to visit Russia.

If Kim travels to Russia, it will be his first trip overseas since his meeting with Putin in Vladivostok two months after the “no-deal” Hanoi summit in February 2019.

Even though it publicized specific details about a summit being planned between countries other than itself — details that were likely not easily accessible — the US did not disclose its sources. This can be interpreted as intended to generate international pressure on Pyongyang by divulging its plan to carry out arms deals with Moscow, as well as to rein in the two countries’ leaders by revealing that the US has intimate knowledge of their activities.

The US has explicitly attempted to contain cooperation between North Korea and Russia up until now. During a press briefing on Aug. 30, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby warned the two countries against violating UN Security Council resolutions, noting that “arms negotiations between Russia and the DPRK are actively advancing.” Moreover, he revealed that Shoigu visited North Korea in late July in order to convince the country to sell artillery shells, and that the leaders of North Korea and Russia exchanged personal letters afterward.

The White House previously made public that North Korea supplied rockets and missiles to the Russian mercenary group Wagner in December as well.

If Kim does indeed visit Russia, and an arms deal between Pyongyang and Moscow becomes a reality, the two countries, which grew apart following the end of the Cold War, may upgrade their relations to the level of “strategic cooperation,” propelled by the war in Ukraine and increasing pressure from the US. The expansion of cooperation between the two countries could also be seen as a move aimed at strengthening unity among North Korea, China and Russia against the growing military alliance among South Korea, the US and Japan.

The NYT report came while the concrete possibility of joint military exercises between North Korea and Russia, as well as among North Korea, China and Russia, was being raised. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service revealed to the National Assembly on Monday that it believes Shoigu made the proposal to hold joint military exercises when he was in Pyongyang.

Russia did not discount the possibility of joint drills either. Interfax reported that, when asked about joint military drills with North Korea, Shoigu responded, “Why not, these are our neighbors,” adding that they were “of course” being discussed. Russian ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora also remarked on Saturday that joint drills between North Korea and Russia would be “appropriate” considering US-led exercises in the region.

By Lee Bon-young, Washington correspondent

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