Video: North Korea is One of Russia's Few Allies Left
Video: North Korea is One of Russia's Few Allies Left
A recent YouTube conversation I had on current Northeast Asian geopolitics, plus a brief Foreign Perspectives update.
Out of the many geopolitical issues affecting the world at the moment, few are likely giving much thought to North Korea.
The days of “fire and fury” in 2017 and U.S. President Donald Trump’s subsequent meetings with Kim Jong Un once flooded international headlines, but this stands in sharp contrast to the lack of resonance the DPRK appears to have with the public today.
Trump failing to reach a breakthrough with Kim in 2019 essentially ended Washington’s diplomatic overtures toward Pyongyang with neither side getting what they wanted.
Subsequent events such as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 understandably drew far greater attention, while North Korea continued to suffer the consequences of its self-imposed isolation due to COVID-19.
And yet if you’re someone who is a regular North Korea watcher like me, you’d know that Kim Jong Un never went anywhere.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down for a full conversation on current events in Northeast Asia with Pyotr Kurzin, host of the geopolitical talk show “The Global Gambit” on YouTube.
Our talk initially began with a discussion on the recent trilateral summit between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea held at Camp David and its significance, but we gradually expanded the focus to its implications for general international security in this part of the world.
From a big picture perspective, North Korea is just one aspect in everything that is going on. The U.S. State Department believes that Pyongyang is assisting Russia by supplying weapons and ammunition, though this has yet to be officially seen on the battlefield.
The DPRK is now one of Russia’s only friends left on the global stage. It is one of the few countries to recognize the territory Vladimir Putin illegally annexed, while Defense Minister Shoigu’s appearance at Pyongyang’s latest military parade is yet another indication of their growing ties.
If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend listening to the conversation I had on “The Global Gambit.” I found Pyotr to be a very welcoming and curious host, and I previously followed him on Twitter for his commentary on the war in Ukraine. His half-English, half-Russian background gives him a more direct perspective than most and I believe his channel is worth subscribing to.
Listen to our conversation here:
This piece is briefer than what I normally post on Foreign Perspectives, but there will occasionally be more like it when I make appearances on YouTube channels and podcasts.
Given my following on Twitter and the wide variety of topics I cover, I sometimes get invited to various programs. Substack allows me to add further context to these conversations and I believe most who read my articles will also probably be interested in hearing more.
With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, let me take this opportunity to thank all those who have subscribed to Foreign Perspectives for their support! Whether you are a free subscriber or a paid one, your interest in my work is always greatly appreciated.
In addition to what I write here, I now also have freelance gigs at NK News, Korea Pro, Lost in Cult, and The Spectator. I did quite a bit of traveling this summer, and things have been quite busy as I prepare to begin another semester of my PhD program. Much of where I went provided interesting content for future pieces though, so stay tuned. I’m still aiming to do roughly one new article here at Foreign Perspectives a week, but it typically depends on how in-depth I end up covering a subject.
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-Oliver Jia
