Kim Jong Un of North Korea examines Russian bombers with nuclear capability

On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended a journey that has raised fears in the West about a weapons alliance that may fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine by seeing Russian nuclear-capable bombers and other jets in Russia’s Far East.

The Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top military officials offered Kim a close-up view of Russia’s strategic bombers and other airplanes at an airfield just outside the coastal city of Vladivostok after he arrived in Artyom by rail.

The Tu-160, Tu-95, and Tu-22 bombers, which often fire cruise missiles, were among the Russian jets that were ostensibly all shown to Kim on Saturday.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Shoigu, who had visited Kim on a rare visit to North Korea in July, also showed Kim one of Russia’s newest missiles, the hypersonic Kinzhal carried by the MiG-31 fighter plane.

Kim’s trip to Russia, which will be highlighted by a summit with Putin on Wednesday, comes at a time when military cooperation between the two nations is gaining momentum. North Korea may look to Russia for technologies to advance Kim’s military nuclear program in return for Russia giving it much-needed weapons.

Later in Vladivostok, Kim was anticipated to see Russian naval ships from the nation’s Pacific fleet; this could be another hint as to what he desires from Russia, perhaps in exchange for munitions to replenish Putin’s depleting supplies as his invasion of Ukraine develops into a protracted war of attrition.

The visit comes after Kim’s Friday industrial tour of a facility making cutting-edge Russian jets.

As the United States has increased its joint military drills with South Korea to fight the North’s rising threat, Kim has emphasized in recent months the necessity to improve his fleet in order to counter the sophisticated naval capabilities of that country.

According to analysts, Kim’s emphasis on naval power may be motivated by goals to acquire advanced technology for nuclear- and ballistic-missile submarines and to start bilateral naval drills between North Korea and Russia.

The governor of Russia’s Primorsky region, Oleg Kozhemyako, had already confirmed Kim’s arrival in Artyom, a city that is located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Vladivostok.

In a video Kozhemyako posted on a messaging app channel of Kim’s arrival, Kim could be seen grinning as he exited his green-and-yellow train and was met by kids who were handing him flowers.

North Korea’s leader made a second appearance Friday in the remote eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur for a visit to a factory that makes Russia’s Su-57 fighter jets. During their meeting with Putin at Russia’s primary spaceport, Kim expressed his desire for Russian assistance in his efforts to acquire space-based reconnaissance equipment and missile technologies.

According to experts, future military cooperation between the two nations may include initiatives to update North Korea’s aging air force, which is still dependent on jets delivered by the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

Kim was visited the aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on Saturday, according to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, where he showed “sincere regard” for what he called Russia’s quickly developing aviation technology, which he said were “outpacing the outside potential threats.”

Kim’s actions in Russia have been covered by North Korean official media a day late, with the specifics being fabricated for government propaganda objectives.

Kim may be seen in a video that was published by the Russian Cabinet on Friday peering inside a Su-57’s cockpit while standing on an elevated platform.

When a Su-35 fighter plane landed following a test flight, Kim also smiled and clapped his hands.

Army Marshal Ri Pyong Chol, the senior military official under Kim Jong Un, said at a luncheon sponsored by Russian officials that his leader’s visit to the site “added another glorious page” to the bilateral ties. Top naval and air force commanders are also part of Kim’s team.

Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, received a briefing from Putin on his meeting with Kim on Friday. At their meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Lukashenko proposed that Belarus and Russia may work together in “three-way cooperation.”

Kim visited Russia a few days after attending a ceremony at a North Korean military shipyard where the nation allegedly showcased a nuclear attack submarine. This was Kim’s first trip to Russia since he met with Putin in Vladivostok in April 2019.

It can fire tactical nuclear bombs from underwater, according to state media.

However, South Korea’s military voiced skepticism over the sub’s operational potential since it was created by bending an existing submarine to accommodate missile launch tubes.

In his attempts to develop a workable nuclear arsenal that may pose a danger to the United States, Kim has stated his intention to obtain nuclear-propelled submarines, which can silently cruise great distances and approach enemy beaches to conduct attacks. Analysts claim that without outside help, the North would not be able to develop such capabilities.

Putin reaffirmed on Friday that Russia will follow UN sanctions, including measures that prohibit North Korea from acquiring or exporting any weapons. Following the Wednesday meeting between Putin and Kim, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said separately that no agreements on bilateral military cooperation had been made.

In order to avoid harsher international condemnation, experts predict that North Korea and Russia won’t announce any military sales publicly.

Kim has been anxious to increase the appearance of his alliances with Moscow and Beijing as he strives to break out of international isolation and include Pyongyang in a unified front against Washington. His travel to Russia marks his first overseas journey since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to some South Korean analysts, Kim would also try to meet with Xi Jinping, the president of China.

A delegation of athletes from North Korea left Pyongyang on Saturday to compete in the Asian Games, which will begin next week in Hangzhou, China, according to KCNA, another indication of the North’s post-pandemic openness.

According to the South Korean authorities, 190 North Korean athletes have registered for the competition.

Since last year, the US has accused North Korea of supplying Russia with rockets, artillery shells, and ammunition, many of which were probably counterfeits of Soviet-era weapons.

According to South Korean authorities, Russia has already employed North Korean weaponry in Ukraine.

In return for North Korean conventional weapons, some observers wonder how much Russia would be ready to transfer of its very sensitive weaponry technology. Others, however, assert that given Russia’s need to replenish its depleted stocks, it is now a possibility to take into account.

US and South Korean officials increased their disapproval of recent actions by Russia and North Korea on Friday during a meeting in Seoul to review the allies’ nuclear deterrent plans.

Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker said that the US will keep trying to “identify, expose, and counter Russian attempts to acquire military equipment, again, to carry out their illegal war on Ukraine.”

Chang Ho-jin, the vice foreign minister of South Korea, warned that despite boosting security cooperation, Washington and Seoul would make sure that Moscow would suffer the repercussions if it assisted North Korea’s nuclear development.