Rumors of a possible meeting between Kim Jong Il and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in the Russian Far East have sparked interest.
The Japanese and Russian press, citing local officials in the region and one in public security, has asserted that North Korea and Russia are reviewing the possibility of holding summit talks, either in Vladivostok or around the North Korean border, to take place around the 30th of June.
With reference to the reports, an official inside the South Korean government hedged his bets today, however, saying, “The rumors of Kim Jong Il’s visit to Russia seem to have originated from the local press near the actual site, but we are still working to confirm or deny it through our diplomatic missions in the area.”
If the meeting comes to pass, it will be Kim Jong Il’s first visit to Russia in nine years, following a meeting in Vladivostok with Russia’s then-President Vladimir Putin in August 2002. What is known is that President Medvedev is scheduled to visit the Russian Far East from 29 June to 1 July to review preparations for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and this is inevitably lending the rumor some weight.
North Korea and Russia already have a cooperative relationship in the economic sphere, for example on investments in the Rasun SEZ. Indeed, Kim Jong Il had a meeting last month with the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Mikhail Fradkov, in Pyongyang, during which the two discussed furthering this relationship, covering issues such as humanitarian assistance and economic projects.
However, Choi Yong Hwan, a senior research associate with the Gyeonggi Research Institute, told the Daily NK today that North Korea’s plan may simply be to ‘pit one enemy against the other.’ In other words, he believes North Korea could be trying to use Russia to keep China in check.
Another possibility could be that North Korea is expressing frustration at delayed Chinese investment in Hwanggeumpyeong and the Rasun SEZ through the strengthening of ties with Russia.
Russia has already leased the No.3 wharf at Rajin Port, and has existing economic relations with North Korea including a stake in an oil refinery. Considering Russia’s interest in enlarging its influence on the Korean Peninsula, maintaining relations with North Korea may be high on its agenda, too.
On this, Choi added that North Korea may not have any other choice, saying, “In the present situation, China and Russia are the only paths for North Korea to take. This is because they are the only countries that listen to what it has to say.” The prediction is that North Korea will attempt to revive its economy through China and Russia, with 2012, the year North Korea has set for itself to become a ‘strong and prosperous nation’, looming near.
