Look back at 70 years of N. Korea-Russia relations
- 5 years ago
As the world awaits the first ever summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin,... we thought we'd take a look back at the two countries' decades of close bilateral ties.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
This year, North Korea and Russia commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their bilateral relationship.
Then-leader Kim Il-sung visited the Soviet Union in 1949 to hold talks with Joseph Stalin.
Kim, would later visit the Soviet Union again, after the end of the Korean War in September 1953.
The Soviet Union would emerge as North Korea's main trading partner and sponsor after the Korean War,... with 93 North Korean factories built with Soviet assistance,... creating the regime's heavy-industrial backbone.
In 1988, at the height of their ties, about 60 percent of North Korea's trade was with the Soviet Union.
In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union,... the new Russian government under Boris Yeltsin refused to provide support for North Korea.
Fast forward to July 2000,... and President Putin's visit to Pyeongyang led to a Joint Declaration being signed by Putin and Kim Jong-il, reaffirming their relations.
In August 2011, Kim Jong-il would visit Russia,... as the Kremlin said it was providing North Korea with food assistance, including some 50,000 tons of wheat.
With the first summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin set for this week,... what results can the world expect?
Observers say with denuclearization talks appearing to break down between Pyeongyang and Washington,... North Korea could be seeking assistance from its long-time ally in Russia.
Others are more hopeful,... saying this summit could inch North Korea closer to denuclearization.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
This year, North Korea and Russia commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their bilateral relationship.
Then-leader Kim Il-sung visited the Soviet Union in 1949 to hold talks with Joseph Stalin.
Kim, would later visit the Soviet Union again, after the end of the Korean War in September 1953.
The Soviet Union would emerge as North Korea's main trading partner and sponsor after the Korean War,... with 93 North Korean factories built with Soviet assistance,... creating the regime's heavy-industrial backbone.
In 1988, at the height of their ties, about 60 percent of North Korea's trade was with the Soviet Union.
In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union,... the new Russian government under Boris Yeltsin refused to provide support for North Korea.
Fast forward to July 2000,... and President Putin's visit to Pyeongyang led to a Joint Declaration being signed by Putin and Kim Jong-il, reaffirming their relations.
In August 2011, Kim Jong-il would visit Russia,... as the Kremlin said it was providing North Korea with food assistance, including some 50,000 tons of wheat.
With the first summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin set for this week,... what results can the world expect?
Observers say with denuclearization talks appearing to break down between Pyeongyang and Washington,... North Korea could be seeking assistance from its long-time ally in Russia.
Others are more hopeful,... saying this summit could inch North Korea closer to denuclearization.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.