Kim Jong-un’s overtures to Xi and Putin complicate S. Korea’s denuclearization goal
From front row left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrive for a reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, following a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Wednesday. UPI-Yonhap
North Korea gains tacit recognition as nuclear-armed state from China, Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's high-profile debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage alongside the leaders of China and Russia poses fresh challenges for Seoul’s pursuit of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, analysts said Thursday.
Kim stood shoulder to shoulder with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, the leaders of two nuclear-armed powers, at China’s massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday. This display is widely seen as a de facto acknowledgment of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, a long-sought goal of the reclusive regime.
Experts say this recognition by Pyongyang's traditional patrons could give North Korea leverage in future nuclear negotiations, complicating South Korea's position amid rising speculation that Kim may seek to reopen nuclear negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Seoul's Ministry of Unification declined to comment directly on Kim's trip to China, but acknowledged that Beijing extended the North Korean leader its highest level of diplomatic protocol.
"During the parade, Putin was seated to Xi's right as the top-ranked guest, with Kim Jong-un to the left as the second-ranked guest. This signals that Kim received exceptionally high honors. We are closely watching developments," a ministry official told reporters during a briefing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from right, leave after their meeting in Beijing, Wednesday. UPI-Yonhap
Doo Jin-ho, director of the Eurasia Research Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said Xi and Putin’s treatment of Kim at the military parade effectively signaled approval of his nuclear program.
"China had previously insisted it opposed a new Cold War, but that stance has now collapsed. This makes progress on Seoul's denuclearization efforts even more difficult," Doo said.
By bringing together Kim, Putin and other authoritarian leaders, Beijing staged a show of unity against the United States and the West, which some observers described as the opening of a new Cold War front.
"The fact that Kim stood shoulder to shoulder with Xi and Putin at such a globally watched event will serve as powerful propaganda, both at home and abroad," Doo added.
The North Korean leader secured another symbolic diplomatic win by holding a one-on-one summit with Putin just hours after the parade, further solidifying their burgeoning military ties.
According to the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday, the two leaders discussed "long-term plans for cooperation" and held an open exchange of views on major regional issues.
In response to Putin's praise for the bravery of North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, Kim pledged to "fully support the struggle of the Russian government, army and people in defending national sovereignty,” calling it a "fraternal duty."
Some experts, however, warned that Kim may be hitting the limits of his ties with Putin, even as the two leaders publicly displayed friendship, particularly with Moscow weighing a potential peace deal in Ukraine.
"Kim is uneasy about what happens once the war ends. He knows that when Moscow no longer needs North Korean troops or weapons, Pyongyang's value to Russia will quickly fade. That is one reason he traveled to China for the parade, because he needs to strengthen ties with Xi," said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
But ultimately, placing all his hopes on China also has its limits.
"For the North Korean leader, the most viable path forward is to eventually seek a meeting with Trump," the researcher added.
Some view that Kim's visit to Beijing has raised the possibility of U.S.-North Korea nuclear negotiations since the North Korean leader has followed a similar pattern before. Between 2018 and 2019, he made four trips to China, with his first and fourth visits timed just ahead of summits with Trump during the U.S. president’s first term.
However, even if negotiations resume, they are widely expected to focus on a nuclear weapons freeze — a proposal Trump would likely welcome and one that the Lee Jae Myung administration might accept under its three-phase denuclearization framework.
South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, left, talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, Wednesday, during a welcoming reception at China's military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II. Courtesy of Woo's office
Amid these developments, attention is also turning to Moscow's potential role as a broker in inter-Korean relations.
During a brief encounter with a South Korean delegation led by National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik in Beijing, Putin asked what message he should deliver to Kim. Woo said he hoped for peace on the Korean Peninsula and possible exchanges with the North during a UNESCO-related event scheduled for 2026.
The rare interaction between a senior South Korean official and the Russian president underscored Moscow's growing confidence in its role on Korean Peninsula issues.
"Among the incumbent leaders of South Korea's neighboring powers, Putin, who has been in power for the longest, has the deepest experience with North Korea's nuclear programs," Doo said. "Now, he appears confident that he is the only leader who can deal with Kim directly."