Russia plans to conduct joint military exercises with North Korea

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Defence & Security News - Russia / North Korea
 
 
Russia plans to conduct joint military exercises with North Korea.
A top Russian military official has stated that Moscow plans on conducting joint military exercises with North Korea. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of the Russian military, made the announcement on Saturday at a meeting attended by all the top service chiefs as well as the Russian defense minister, Sergey Shoygu.
     
A top Russian military official has stated that Moscow plans on conducting joint military exercises with North Korea. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of the Russian military, made the announcement on Saturday at a meeting attended by all the top service chiefs as well as the Russian defense minister, Sergey Shoygu. North Korean soldiers aim their weapons during military exercises
     
“We are planning an expansion of the communication lines of our military central command," Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of the Russian armed forces, said at a meeting attended by the heads of all of Russia's armed forces branches, according to Newsweek. "We are entering preliminary negotiations with the armed forces of Brazil, Vietnam, Cuba and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”

Russia and North Korea have been strengthening ties in recent months, and had previously suggested they’d increase mil-to-mil ties this year. Back in November of last year, Choe Ryong-hae— North Korea’s unofficial number 2— traveled to Moscow as Kim Jong-un’s special envoy, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, among other Russian officials.

Last week Russian president Vladimir Putin told military officials in Moscow that he would like to expand Russia’s role in the arms trade across the Far East and Latin America.

North Korea and Russia first established diplomatic relations on October 12, 1948 shortly after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was proclaimed. Though the two were close allies during the Cold War, relations between them have loosened since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The relationship gained some importance again during the 2000s.

On April 26–28, 2001, North Korean Defense Minister Vice-Marshal Kim Il-chol visited Moscow, a deal on bilateral cooperation in the defense industry and military equipment was signed. During Kim's visit, the two governments also signed a so-called "framework intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the military industry" and a deal between the two defense ministries.