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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit in the Russian Far East on Sept. 13, 2023. (AP/Yonhap)

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to North Korea on Wednesday, his first in 24 years. Coming at a time when the tides of a new Cold War have been intensifying, his visit included the signing of a document upgrading Russia’s ties with North Korea to the level of a “strategic partnership.”

Since Yoon Suk-yeol took office as South Korean president, he has gone all-in on the trilateral alliance with the US and Japan. This has put him consistently in conflict with China and Russia, two countries with a huge influence on the Korean Peninsula’s political situation.

It’s time to reflect on whether this skewed approach to diplomacy hasn’t had the effect of contributing to the development of relations between North Korea and Russia.

North Korean and Russian state-run media reported Tuesday that Putin would be visiting North Korea on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of leader Kim Jong-un. This pivotal diplomatic move comes at a time when conflict between Russia and the West has reached a fever pitch as the Russo-Ukrainian war enters its third year.

Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday that North Korea and Russia planned to sign a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty,” which would reflect “the profound evolution of the geopolitical situation in the world and in the region.”

In a contribution published in the Tuesday edition of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, Putin announced his intention to cooperate with North Korea in several areas, including “alternative trade and mutual settlements mechanisms not controlled by the West,” structures of “equal and indivisible security,” “academic mobility between Russian and Korean higher education institutions,” and “mutual tourist trips as well as cultural, educational, youth and sports exchanges.”

The terms could be read as signaling his intent to develop Russia’s relationship with North Korea into a comprehensive partnership along similar lines to its ties with South Korea (a “strategic partnership”) and China (a “comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era”).

The biggest remaining question is whether the two sides will sign another mutual defense treaty like the one they established in the past.

Amid the Cold War in 1961, they previously signed a treaty stating, “Should either of the Contracting Parties suffer armed attack [. . .], the other Contracting Party shall immediately extend military and other assistance with all the means at its disposal.” In 2000, this treaty was replaced with a Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness, and Cooperation, which removed the commitment to mutual defense.

Diplomatic missteps by Seoul have played a part in Pyongyang and Moscow’s ability to so rapidly bolster their relationship after years of estrangement.

Shortly after Yoon made remarks in April 2023 suggesting that South Korea might supply weapons to Ukraine, the Russian foreign minister warned that this would affect Moscow’s approach to the Korean Peninsula. Since then, it has walked the walk by realizing historic improvements in ties with Pyongyang rather than Seoul.

With North Korea and Russia committing to upgrading their relationship, there is not much that can be done to turn the tide. This is a moment that calls for a cautious approach to foreign relations with China and Russia.

On the same day that Putin set out for North Korea, the South Korean government held a diplomatic and national security dialogue with China at the vice-ministerial level. It was a belated step but a correct one.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]