North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a rare meeting with Alexandr Kozlov, Russia’s minister of natural resources and ecology, in Pyongyang on November 18, with the senior Russian official arriving in the capital city to lead and participate in the 11th annual bilateral talks on economy, science and technology.
This marks the first time the country’s supreme leader directly engaged with the head of a Russian delegation attending the Inter-governmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology, showing Pyongyang’s latest efforts to deepen its military and economic collaboration with Moscow and to leverage its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine to secure advanced technology and economic aid. Previously, these meetings were handled by lower-ranking officials, such as North Korean Premier Kim Tok-hun, who met Kozlov in 2022.
During the talks, Kim praised the growing partnership between the two countries, crediting a “new treaty” for closer ties.
“It is necessary to mutually and powerfully propel the co-prosperity and development of the two countries by further promoting intergovernmental trade, economic, scientific and technological exchange and cooperation in a more extensive and diversified way,” Kim was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)’s English-language report on Tuesday.
Photos released by state media showed Kim personally greeting Kozlov outside the headquarters and later escorting him out after the meeting, which North Korea described as proceeding in a “friendly and sincere” atmosphere.
Analysts believe the high level of attention given to Kozlov signals North Korea’s focus on securing Russian support amid its ongoing troop deployments to assist Moscow in Ukraine, potentially in exchange for military technology and economic benefits.
The two sides publicly stated that they focused on broad-based solidarity and cooperation. While details of the discussions remain undisclosed, analysts believe the activation of a committee on science and technology suggests that the talks may have addressed issues such as reconnaissance satellite technology — possibly as part of Russia’s compensation for North Korea’s troop deployments to assist in the Ukraine war.
“Kim’s meeting with Kozlov likely reflects North Korea’s intention to showcase its growing ties with Russia and its expectations for economic exchange,” a South Korean Unification Ministry official told reporters Tuesday, speaking under the condition of anonymity.
Kozlov’s visit coincided with the arrival of another Russian delegation led by Vladimir Zarudnitski, president of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Experts speculate that this delegation’s visit involves discussions on military training and educational exchanges.
This comes amid reports of over 10,000 North Korean troops already deployed to assist Russia in Ukraine. During a speech at a military conference in Pyongyang last week, Kim accused the United States and its allies of waging war against Russia through Ukraine “in a bid to expand the scope of Washington’s military intervention into the world” and emphasized the importance of modern warfare and advanced weaponry.
North Korea’s alignment with Russia comes as it intensifies criticism of the trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan.
In a separate English-language commentary published Tuesday, the KCNA condemned a recent summit of the three nations held during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Lima, Peru, as well as their joint Freedom Edge military drills near Jeju Island, warning that such actions would bring “retaliatory responses.”
The commentary also ridiculed the trilateral partnership following the Camp David summit in August, branding it an “era of tripartite ruin” and deriding the leaders of the three nations, saying that “one has already been ousted from his premiership and another one will soon leave the Oval Office and the last one is on the verge of being impeached, for being forsaken by the public.”
South Korea’s Unification Ministry dismissed the criticisms, calling them “impudence.”
“The trilateral cooperation of South Korea, the United States and Japan aims to uphold universal values such as freedom, human rights and peace,” the ministry official said. “It is impudent that North Korea, a country undermining these values and international order, is making such accusations.”
BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]
