Kim Jong-sik, First Deputy Director of the Military Industry Department of the Central Committee of North Korea’s Workers’ Party and the key figure in the country’s missile development program, has been spotted attending an advanced weaponry exhibition organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Kim Jong-sik is widely recognized as part of North Korea’s “Missile Triumvirate,” alongside Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Ri Pyong-chol and Missile General Bureau Chief Jang Chang-ha.
According to reports from Russia’s TASS news agency and Radio Free Asia (RFA) on August 12, Kim was present at the opening ceremony of the “Army 2024” expo in Moscow, Russia.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that representatives from 83 countries, including North Korea, China, Iran, and Belarus, are participating in the event, which runs from August 12 to 14. High-level officials, including ministers and chiefs of staff from 39 countries, also attended the event.
The Russian Ministry of Defense noted that over 1,000 Russian defense companies and organizations are showcasing more than 20,000 weapons and dual-use products in life-size models at the exhibition.
During the opening ceremony, Kim Jong-sik was captured on camera sitting in the front row among other national delegations as they watched a video address by Russian President Vladimir Putin. North Korean media has yet to report on Kim’s trip to Russia or the dispatch of the North Korean delegation.
Kim Jong-sik’s presence at this event follows his participation in the North Korea-Russia summit held at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia in September last year, where he accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
He was also present at the launch of North Korea’s first military reconnaissance satellite, “Malligyong-1,” in November of the same year, and appeared during the test launch of the “Bulhwasal-3-31” submarine-launched strategic cruise missile, claimed by North Korea to be a new development, in January this year.
Furthermore, he closely accompanied Kim Jong-un during the ground test of a solid-fuel engine for a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile in March and during a tactical ballistic missile test in May.
In connection with his activities, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed Kim Jong-sik on its sanctions list in December 2017. The U.S. Treasury assessed that Kim played a pivotal role in North Korea’s transition from liquid to solid fuel in its missile programs.
Given Kim’s involvement in the development of mid- to long-range and hypersonic strategic weapons, some analysts believe his visit to Russia is related to these areas.
Hong Min, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, “North Korea is likely seeking to acquire technology from Russia related to miniaturization and stabilization of multiple warheads for mid- to long-range missiles, as well as diversification of launch platforms for hypersonic missiles, whether on land, sea, underwater, or air.”
Indeed, during the North Korea-Russia summit in September last year, Kim Jong-un visited a Russian airbase where he inspected the “Kinzhal,” a Russian hypersonic air-to-ground missile mounted on a MiG-31I fighter jet.
Additionally, Russian media reported that the North Korean delegation showed interest in Russia’s integrated communication system R-760 at the exhibition. The R-760 system is related to wireless communication between coastal command posts and surface ships and submarines, according to RFA.
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
