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technology and technical support for North Korea’s satellite
program. The expansion of the military exchange relationship
will likely enhance North Korea’s ability to meet its military
development goals contained in the five year plan adopted
at the 2021 Eighth Party Congress. However, it remains to
be seen exactly how far Russia would be willing to go to help
North Korea with some of its more ambitious goals, including
support for development of a submarine launched ballistic
missile capability or other advanced military technologies
sought by Pyongyang.

The expansion of Russia-North Korea cooperation has been
symbolized and facilitated by the July 2023 visit of Russian
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Pyongyang on the
occasion of the anniversary of the signing of the armistice
ending the Korean War. This was followed by Kim’s September
2023 summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir
Putin held at a Russian satellite launch site in the Russian
Far East, and a subsequent tour by Kim Jong-Un of several
military production facilities and sites. After the summit,
the North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sun-Hee visited
Moscow in January of 2024, at which time Putin pledged to
visit Pyongyang later in 2024. The intensity and frequency of
such high-level exchanges reflects an expanded and sustained
convergence of interests between Russia and North Korea as
well as the expansion of trade and other exchanges.

One of North Korea’s goals in expanding the economic and
strategic dimensions of the Russia-North Korea relationship
is that it provides a potentially significant opportunity to
lessen Pyongyang’s longstanding and almost complete

Chapter Thirteen : South Korea-Japan-US Cooperation: How to Deter North Korea and Convince China 219