For the first time since the end of the Cold War, North Korea has embraced relations with Russia as a key component of its foreign policy and domestic development. However, Russia’s need for North Korean artillery and weapons to conduct its war in Ukraine also create a different dynamic between the two countries than during the Cold War. This new dynamic and the unknown outcome of the war in Ukraine raise questions about the long-term viability of deepening ties between North Korea and Russia, as well as Pyongyang’s choice to deepen relations with Moscow and to a lesser extent Beijing, rather than seeking to improve relations with Washington and Seoul.

On February 8, 2024, KEI hosted a discussion on these and other issues related to the growing relationship between North Korea and Russia with long-time North Korea expert Dr. Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University.