What Can Russia and North Korea Offer Each Other?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui held talks to discuss the mutual rapprochement between the two countries, according to TASS citing the Korean Central News Agency. The heads of foreign affairs agreed to collaborate on solving international problems, economics, and culture.
Western media has shown nervous reactions to the Russian-Korean talks. European and American politicians and journalists are concerned about the prospects of military-technical cooperation between Russia and North Korea. At the same time, official statements from Moscow and Pyongyang emphasize joint work in humanitarian and financial-economic sectors.
GORUS correspondent from interviewed experts in the field of Russian-Korean relations and international politics to explore what Russia and North Korea could offer each other in the near future.
– Let’s start with the fact that getting acquainted with any other national culture is beneficial in all respects. Moreover, much will have to be discovered anew. Contacts between Russia and North Korea have been largely lost since the early 1990s. Obviously, North Korea is a new direction for the development of trade and economic cooperation for Russia today. Given the consequences of pandemic restrictions and sanctions, this is very important for Russia. We are forced to sell some of our goods today at a discount, and North Korea can become a reliable and grateful trading partner, – said Evgeny Kim, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Far Eastern Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
According to him, North Korean imports could also be beneficial for Russia. The cost of living in North Korea is lower than in Russia. Accordingly, the cost of goods is also lower. Therefore, Russian entrepreneurs could buy many goods at advantageous prices.
– Imagining North Korean production, there is no need to be captive to stereotypes. In North Korea, the electrical engineering industry, for example, is thriving without exaggeration. At the same time, there is no danger that North Korea, having signed a contract, will later back out due to Western sanctions. Although Russia has many natural resources, North Korea still has something to offer us in terms of valuable minerals. Most of the deposits on the Korean Peninsula are in the north. In particular, these are rare earth metal deposits, which experts estimate at more than two trillion dollars. Our business could not enter North Korea for years because of threats of sanctions from the West. Now, considering the sanctions already imposed on Russia, we have nothing to lose, so we can work calmly, – emphasized Evgeny Kim.
The expert points out that the Russian Federation, in turn, can find solutions that, without officially falling under the UN Security Council restrictions, can significantly help official Pyongyang.
– For example, we can study the issue of the legal permissibility of exporting mobile reactors or attracting North Korean students to practice here. Due to sanctions, North Korea cannot send its workforce to another country, but there are no restrictions on professional practices and internships for students anywhere. Our economy could thus gain thousands of qualified and disciplined workers… As they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way, – concluded the leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies.
Russian-Korean negotiations/Amur region, September 2023 / Photo: Vladimir Smirnov, TASS
Experts also remind that before taking cooperation to a new level, it is important to remove “physical” barriers.
– There is room for cooperation, including in the cultural sphere. For example, during his visit to Russia, Kim Jong Un attended the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” on the Primorsky stage of the Mariinsky Theater in Vladivostok. Why not organize tours for the theater in North Korea? But there are still some transport restrictions in place due to the pandemic. It would be advisable to discuss their complete removal, – noted Alexander Vorontsov, head of the Korea and Mongolia department at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and associate professor at MGIMO, in a conversation with GORUS.
Head of the Department of Political Science and Sociology at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Professor Andrei Koshkin, agrees with Evgeny Kim that outdated notions about North Korea should have been consigned to the dustbin of history.
Ski resort in North Korea / Photo: vostokintur.ru
– North Korea is a country with tremendous prospects. There were widespread misconceptions about it at one time, but it convincingly dispelled them. The myth of its supposed technological backwardness was refuted by North Korea’s high achievements in the field of rocketry, which, as is known, is the quintessence of developments in the high-tech industry. Therefore, I think North Korea has something to offer us on mutually beneficial terms, – emphasized the expert.
According to him, there are already certain achievements in the humanitarian sphere.
– It was recently announced that in Vladivostok, the first group of a hundred tourists was recruited for a trip to North Korean ski resorts. The media reported that the entire tour would cost $750. In few directions can you get such a ratio of price and volume of services. Moreover, some Russian tourist bloggers have already visited North Korean ski resorts and left enthusiastic reviews. And, in my opinion, this is only the beginning of a long journey of cooperation in the recreational sphere. And most importantly, the peoples of Russia and North Korea treat each other with deep respect. Therefore, we should have a very successful partnership, – said Andrei Koshkin.
Indeed, Russian bloggers post content from North Korean resorts, where you can stay in excellent rooms, ski, and have lunch in a restaurant for five to seven dollars. In general, they like everything.
Understandably, this is the perspective of ordinary people. However, perhaps it will become the best basis for developing relations at the highest level?
Svyatoslav Knyazev