A weapons deal only invites further isolation

If their close relationship leads to a weapons deal again, it will only exacerbate their isolation even further.

Despite the international community’s deepening concerns, North Korea and Russia have escalated their relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” from “friendly, amicable relations.” In an expanded meeting and a closed-door two-way meeting in Pyongyang on Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin specified the elevation of the two countries’ relations. The international society paid special attention to their meeting, given the North’s supply of conventional weapons to Russia on its war against Ukraine and Russia’s move to weaken international sanctions on North Korea.

The two leaders nevertheless showed off their cooperation on military, economic, space and railway areas, which was banned by the United Nations Security Council. This is a clear manifestation of their determination to neutralize international sanctions and augment their military cooperation.

The two leaders can meet anytime, but they must not cross a red line. As chair country of the UN Security Council, Korea dispatched Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul to New York. We hope he finds an effective way to manage the volatile situation.

Last year, North Korea defined inter-Korean relations as “being hostile ones.” Its decision to reinforce military cooperation with Russia sounds loud alarms over South Korea’s security. Kim’s grandfather went to Moscow to meet with Joseph Stalin for his military assistance shortly before the North’s invasion of the South in 1950. In 2019, Kim Jong-un fired short-range missiles 13 times after meeting with Putin in 2019 followed by the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite last year.

The North is building a wall and “tactical roads” along the border. Such saber-rattling can evolve into more hostile policies toward the South in a plenary session of the Workers’ Party later this month. The government must be thoroughly prepared for any possible military attacks.

In Wednesday’s summit, Kim Jong-un declared that North Korea’s relations with Russia entered the era of new prosperity. But the two countries’ self-declared “co-prosperity” — primarily based on the advancement of nuclear weapons and missiles — only helps worsen their isolation from the rest of the world. The North Korean leader greeted Putin at the airport alone without being accompanied by an army of his aides.

That scene can be the fate of the two countries that are being increasingly shunned by others. Seeking self-reliance in this world cannot ensure survival for anyone. If their close relationship leads to a weapons deal again, it will only exacerbate their isolation even further.