Kim Jong-un backs Putin in 'sacred fight' against West in 'axis of evil' summit
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un has pledged his loyalty to Russian warlord Vladimir Putin and will join his "sacred fight" against the West.
Kim rolled into Vladivostok on his 90-carriage, armoured train yesterday morning ahead of a controversial "axis of evil" summit in the port city. Western leader's fear that the ruler of the Hermit Kingdom will give Putin unfettered access to his arsenal, which would give Russia a much-needed boost on the front line in Ukraine.
On Wednesday morning, the iron-fist ruler arrived at the Vostochny Cosmodrome where he and Putin were seen grinning as they clasped hands and the North Korean despot heaped his gratitude on Putin for the invite.
Putin told reporters the pair planned to discuss "all the issues" at their meeting, and that one of the reasons for the summit was down to Kim's interest in building satellites. In recent months, Kim has repeatedly failed to launch satellites into space. Putin explained: "That's why we came here. The leader of the DPRK shows great interest in rocket engineering, they are also trying to develop space."
They began their meeting with a tour of a Soyuz-2 space rocket launch facility (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Meanwhile, when the cameras were on Kim, he pledged "full and unconditional support" for the "sacred fight" that Russia is fighting, apparently referring to the Kremlin's illegal and cruel war in Ukraine. He added that Pyongyang will stand beside Moscow against "imperialism" as he warned that Russo-North Korean relations were his "first priority".
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Mr Putin listed economic co-operation, humanitarian issues and the "situation in the region" among the agenda items for their talks. The two men began their meeting at the Vostochny cosmodrome with a tour of a Soyuz-2 space rocket launch facility, at which Kim peppered a Russian space official with questions about the rockets.
Kim and Mr Putin then met together with their delegations and later one-on-one, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. The meeting came hours after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles towards the sea, extending a highly provocative run in North Korean weapons testing since the start of 2022, as Kim used the distraction caused by Mr Putin's war on Ukraine to accelerate his weapons development.
They met at the Vostochny cosmodrome outside the city of Tsiolkovsky (AP)The decision to meet at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's most important domestic satellite launch facility, suggests that Kim is seeking Russian technical assistance for his efforts to develop military reconnaissance satellites, which he has described as crucial in enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles.
In recent months, North Korea has repeatedly failed to put its first military spy satellite into orbit.
Official photos showed that Kim was accompanied by Pak Thae Song, chairman of North Korea's space science and technology committee, and navy admiral Kim Myong Sik, who are linked with North Korean efforts to acquire spy satellites and nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry.
Asked about military co-operation, Mr Putin said "we will talk about all issues without a rush. There is time". Mr Putin welcomed Kim's limousine, brought from Pyongyang in the North Korean leader's special armoured train, at the entrance to the launch facility with a handshake that lasted around 40 seconds.
Mr Putin said he was "very glad to see" Kim. Kim's translator thanked Mr Putin for the warm welcome, "despite being busy". For Mr Putin, the meeting with Kim is an opportunity to refill ammunition stores that the war with Ukraine has drained.
North Korea may have tens of millions of ageing artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could give a huge boost to the Russian army in Ukraine, analysts say.
Kim also brought Jo Chun Ryong, a ruling party official in charge of munitions policies who joined him on recent tours of factories producing artillery shells and missiles, according to South Korea. Kim said his decision to visit Russia four years after his previous visit showed how Pyongyang is "prioritising the strategic importance" of its relations with Moscow, North Korea's official news agency said. Kim is expected to seek economic aid as well as military technology.
Deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko said Russia may discuss humanitarian aid with the North Korean delegation, according to Russian news agencies. An arms deal would violate international sanctions that Russia supported in the past.
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Lim Soo-suk, South Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said Seoul was maintaining communication with Moscow while closely monitoring Kim's visit.
"No UN member state should violate Security Council sanctions against North Korea by engaging in an illegal trade of arms, and must certainly not engage in military co-operation with North Korea that undermines the peace and stability of the international community," Mr Lim said at a briefing.
The United States has accused North Korea of providing Russia with arms, including selling artillery shells to the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Both Russian and North Korean officials denied such claims.
Speculation about their military co-operation grew after Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, visited North Korea in July.
Kim subsequently toured his weapons factories, which experts said had the dual goal of encouraging the modernisation of North Korean weaponry and examining artillery and other supplies that could be exported to Russia.
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