Russia, N. Korea forging closer ties
By Kim Young-jin
Russia has apparently launched a series of cooperative moves with North Korea following a recent summit between their leaders, including a large debt write-off and planned joint military drills, reports say.
These appear to be part of a push by Moscow to boost its influence in the region. But how much pull the Kremlin has with its communist neighbor and on the peninsula remains to be seen.
They come as the Kremlin pushes its proposal to pipe Siberian natural gas to the South via the North, which North Korean leader Kim Jong-il expressed his support for during a visit to his giant neighbor last month.
On Wednesday, Russian newspaper Izvestiya reported that the Kremlin would write off some 90 percent of liabilities Pyongyang owed before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, a total of some $11 billion.
Moscow’s finance ministry did not confirm the report but acknowledged that negotiations had resumed after a three-year hiatus, Yonhap News reported. Such a move appeared aimed at easing the North’s economic woes.
On the same day, a British trade publication called rail.co, reported Russia would test a railway straddling the border next month. According to the report, the demonstration would extend from border town Khasan to the North's northeastern port city of Rajin.
Moscow, which has been renovating the line for three years, eventually wants to use it to ship goods to and from South Korea via Rajin. It would also provide access to the Trans-Siberian railway. The report quoted an official as saying Russia could transport coal on the tracks.
The first-ever war maneuvers between the former Cold War allies ― a search and rescue naval drill ― would be held sometime next year, the Interfax news agency quoted a Russian general as saying, without elaborating. The isolated North rarely stages such drills with other nations.
Despite lingering concerns, momentum seems to be gaining on the trilateral pipeline project, which President Lee Myung-bak has said could take shape sooner than expected due to enthusiasm from all sides.
Choo Kang-soo, president of the state-run Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS), was in Moscow Thursday for meetings with officials from gas giant Gazprom. Pyongyang’s oil minister was also in Russia, the North’s media reported, sparking speculation that the two could meet.
Still, some analysts say the huge financial burden on Seoul and the potential for the North to use the pipeline as leverage over the South are both likely to make the project a long-term goal.
Choi Jin-wook, senior researcher with the Korea Institute for National Unification, says the new cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang appears motivated largely by political factors.
“North Korea needs to show diplomacy and economic improvements to its people. Russia is trying to play a more active role on the peninsula after being alienated for a long time. It’s good political capital,” he said, adding that presidential elections next year could be a factor for the Kremlin.
Regional tensions remain high after the North last year waged two deadly provocations on the South and unveiled a uranium enrichment program last year.
Moscow has been seen as a minor player in the six-party negotiations on Pyongyang’s denuclearization, considered the best multilateral format for reigning in the North.
Analysts say Russia could take a larger role if the talks resume given the North’s tightening bond with China, the host of the talks. They also say the Kremlin values stability on its borders to protect its rapid development above all in dealing with Pyongyang.