In this swimming pool photo distributed by the Sputnik Agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin (center L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center R) visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region on September 13, 2023.
Mikhail Metzel | Episode | Getty Images
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected Russian strategic bombers, hypersonic missiles and nuclear-capable warships on Saturday, accompanied by President Vladimir Putin’s defense minister.
A smiling Kim was greeted at Russia’s Knevichi airport, about 50 km from the Pacific city of Vladivostok, by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who greeted Kim. The North Korean leader then inspected a guard of honor.
The United States and South Korea fear that the revival of Moscow’s friendship with Pyongyang could give Kim access to some of Russia’s sensitive missile and other technology while helping arm Russia in its war in Ukraine.
Shoigu showed off Kim Russia’s strategic bombers – the Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 – which can carry nuclear weapons and form the backbone of Russia’s nuclear air strike force, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“It can fly from Moscow to Japan and then back again,” Shoigu Kim said of one plane.
Kim asked how the missiles were fired from the plane, sometimes nodding and smiling.
Shoigu showed him the MiG-31I supersonic interceptor aircraft equipped with “Kinzhal” hypersonic missiles. The Kinzhal, or dagger, is an air-launched ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads.
It has a reported range of 1,500 to 2,000 km (930-1,240 miles) while carrying a payload of 480 kg (1,100 pounds). It can travel at a speed of up to ten times the speed of sound (12,000 km/h).
After the planes and missiles, Kim inspected the Russian Pacific Fleet warship in Vladivostok, where he was to attend a Russian Navy demonstration.
South Korea and the United States said on Friday that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia violated UN sanctions on Pyongyang and that the allies would ensure that a price was paid for it.
Russia has gone out of its way to publicize Kim’s visit and provide repeated hints about the prospect of military cooperation with North Korea, which was formed in 1948 with the support of the Soviet Union.
For Putin, who says Moscow is locked in an existential battle with the West over Ukraine, courting Kim allows him to screw Washington and its Asian allies while securing a large supply of artillery for the war in Ukraine.
Washington has accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia, which has the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, but it is unclear whether any deliveries have actually taken place.
Kim on Friday inspected a Russian fighter jet factory that is under Western sanctions.
He and Putin discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and deepening cooperation during their meeting on Wednesday. Putin told reporters that Russia “would not violate anything” but would continue to develop relations with North Korea.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters there was no plan to sign formal agreements during the visit.
Russian diplomats said Washington had no right to lecture Moscow after the United States supported its allies around the world, including with a visit by a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to South Korea in July.