North Korea, Russia to develop alternative settlement system, says Putin

Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia and North Korea will "develop an alternative settlement system that is not controlled by the West” and jointly oppose “illegitimate” restrictive measures ahead of his first visit to North Korea in 24 years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Sept. 13, 2023. [AFP/YONHAP]

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview Tuesday that Pyongyang and Moscow will "develop an alternative settlement system that is not controlled by the West” and jointly oppose “illegitimate” restrictive measures on the eve of his first visit to North Korea in 24 years.

Putin made the remarks in an article published Tuesday in the North’s official Rodong Sinmun, with his two-day visit to Pyongyang set to begin the same day.

His remarks seemingly urge Russia and North Korea, both subject to financial sanctions from the international community, to establish their own trade and payment systems to circumvent the U.S.-centered international financial system and the dollar, the world's dominant reserve currency.

“As our reliable comrade and supporter yesterday and today, Pyongyang is willing to resolutely oppose the ambition of the ‘Western group’ to hinder the establishment of a multi-polarized world order based on mutual respect for justice and sovereignty and consideration of mutual interests,” said Putin in the article. “We are firmly convinced that we will put bilateral cooperation onto a higher level with our joint efforts.”

He also emphasized that Russia will continue to support North Korea and is willing to work closely with it to make international relations more “democratic and stable.”

Additionally, Putin declared that Russia would increase cooperation and exchanges with North Korea in fields such as tourism, education and culture.

Earlier, Kremlin press secretary Yuri Ushakov said that Putin is likely to sign "important" documents with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday, most likely a treaty on comprehensive strategic collaboration, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

Ushakov emphasized that this agreement will "of course follow all the basic principles of international law, and will not have any provocative character nor will it directly target any country."

The Kremlin officially announced on Monday that Putin would visit North Korea for two days starting Tuesday at Kim's invitation. North Korean media outlets, including the Korean Central News Agency (KNCA), announced the visit almost simultaneously with Russia.

Putin is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang late Tuesday evening after visiting the Siberian city of Yakutsk.

Putin will be accompanied by Defense Minister Andrei Beluosov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and the head of the Russian space agency on his trip to Pyongyang.

The tentative agenda for the meeting with Kim includes heightening military cooperation and developing the "alternative settlement system."

Following his Pyongyang visit, the Russian president will travel to Vietnam.

Putin visited China from May 17 to 18 after officially starting his fifth term in office last month. He chose North Korea as his fourth destination after trips to Belarus and Uzbekistan.

While Putin did not respond to Kim's request to visit North Korea in 2019, the Russian president decided to demonstrate the warming relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow through this visit.

North Korea and Russia have been developing closer relations since Russia began its "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022.

U.S. officials suspect Pyongyang started providing Moscow with weapons needed for operations in Ukraine after the North Korea-Russia summit in September last year.

In a joint press conference by the defense ministries of Ukraine and the United Kingdom on Tuesday, Kyiv also accused Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with 1.8 million 122-millimeter and 152-millimeter shells.

"Russia will continue to pursue and strengthen its military cooperation with North Korea and Iran," said an official from the Ukrainian defense ministry during the conference.

Of particular concern is that Putin's visit to the North may lead to extraordinary levels of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Attention is especially focused on whether the two sides revive the automatic military intervention clause that was included in a 1961 treaty between North Korea and the former Soviet Union,

The treaty — and the military intervention clause — was scrapped in 1996.

South Korean defense and intelligence officials believe Putin's visit to North Korea could serve as an opportunity for the two sides to agree on military and security cooperation at a level approaching "automatic military intervention in case of emergency."

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]