North Korea’s Kim, Russia’s Putin reaffirm ties on Korean Liberation Day

Kim Jong Un has reaffirmed North Korea’s increasingly close relationship with Vladimir Putin, describing the relationship as rooted in a shared history of struggle and expressing confidence that cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow will continue.

The exchange came as North Korea marked 81 years since Japan’s surrender in 1945, which ended Japanese colonial rule over Korea.

The significance goes beyond historical symbolism. North Korea and Russia have developed an unusually close partnership since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea’s support for Russia

Pyongyang has gone considerably further than diplomatic support. North Korea has supplied Russia with weapons and has deployed troops to assist Russian forces in Ukraine.

This represents North Korea’s most substantial participation in a foreign war since the Korean War of 1950-53.

The relationship has therefore become strategically important to both sides:

• Russia gets ammunition, weapons and North Korean military personnel.
• North Korea receives economic, technological and potentially military assistance from Russia.
• Both governments have a shared interest in challenging US influence and the Western security system.
• Their cooperation gives North Korea a powerful international partner at a time when it remains heavily sanctioned.

The arrival of the Russian ship Pallada at Wonsan for a goodwill visit further demonstrated the increasingly visible relationship.

South Korea is pursuing a completely different approach

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung used the same anniversary to call for dialogue with North Korea.

Lee proposed moving away from the current arrangement, under which the Korean War technically remains unresolved because the 1953 armistice was never followed by a peace treaty.

His proposed direction is essentially:

armistice → negotiations → formal peace regime → mechanisms to prevent renewed conflict

He also said negotiations could address North Korea’s nuclear programme.

Pyongyang, however, has rejected Lee’s overtures and continues to regard US-South Korean military exercises as hostile provocations.

The larger geopolitical picture

There are now three increasingly distinct relationships developing on the Korean Peninsula:

North Korea ↔ Russia
Military cooperation, weapons, troops and strategic alignment.

South Korea ↔ US
Military alliance and deterrence against North Korea.

South Korea ↔ North Korea
Lee’s government is attempting dialogue and coexistence, but Pyongyang remains hostile to Seoul’s overtures.

Russia’s involvement makes the situation more complicated. Moscow has become one of Pyongyang’s most important external partners, while North Korea has become useful to Russia because of its ability to provide military resources for the Ukraine war.

Putin’s visit to a disputed Japanese island immediately before this exchange also carried geopolitical significance. The island is claimed by Japan but has been controlled by Russia since the final days of World War II.

The result is that an anniversary commemorating the end of Japanese colonial rule is simultaneously highlighting three unresolved conflicts and rivalries: the Korean Peninsula’s division, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Russia-Japan territorial tensions.