Soyugin's Visit to North Korea: Kim Jong-un to Send an 'Engineer Brigade' to Russia, Capable of Building and Fighting, but This Is Not the Focus
Yevgeny Kim: "There is an interesting person in South Korea who once studied and worked in St. Petersburg."
Author: Mikhail Zubov
Illustration: Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu's visit to Pyongyang
Commentary Guest: Yevgeny Kim
Pyongyang will send a thousand engineers to Russia to clear minefields "planted" by Ukrainian nationalists, with the first priority being Kursk Oblast — where North Korean soldiers have already assisted in the clearance work.
This is the first official disclosure of the results from the talks between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The talks took place on June 17 in Pyongyang, and it is worth noting that this is Shoigu's second visit to North Korea within a month; he visited the friendly country's leader on June 4 previously.
According to some reports, apart from the engineers, North Korea may also send about 5,000 to 6,000 construction workers to the special military operation area to rebuild facilities destroyed by Nazi Ukrainians.
However, the official outcomes of Shoigu and Kim Jong-un's talks are just the "tip of the iceberg." What else did Putin's confidant and the North Korean leader discuss? Yevgeny Kim, chief researcher at the North Korea Research Center of the Institute of Contemporary Asia and China of the Russian Academy of Sciences, revealed the inside story to Free Media.
Free Media: Comrade Kim, although a thousand engineers are indeed important, such issues can be resolved through remote communication. It is not difficult to speculate that the face-to-face talks between Shoigu and Kim Jong-un across half the globe must involve other key topics. What exactly did the leaders of Russia and North Korea and Putin's envoy discuss in Pyongyang?
Kim: Since Shoigu is a confidant of Putin, he naturally conveyed the important message from the Russian president regarding the form of security cooperation between the two countries.
In terms of military-technical cooperation, it is no secret that North Korea has multiple rocket launcher systems with a range two to three times that of Russia (and the U.S.). If we equip ourselves with such weapons, we could launch saturation strikes against the Ukrainian army without worrying about counterattacks — the enemy's anti-artillery systems can hardly reach and destroy such long-range rocket launchers.
Another issue is that two seriously injured North Korean soldiers were captured by the Ukrainian army; they are likely to be handed over to South Korea for propaganda purposes.
Of course, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has stated that he does not want to confront North Korea, but Seoul has partners who hope to escalate tensions, and there are conservative opposition groups domestically as well.
Free Media: Is Kim Jong-un considering Russia as a potential mediator for improving North-South Korean relations?
Kim: This possibility cannot be ruled out. Yoon Suk-yeol has banned the launching of balloons and probes towards North Korea and even stated that such behavior will be punished. He has also banned broadcasting messages to North Korea via radio, and Kim Jong-un has taken reciprocal measures accordingly, halting related actions.
As is well known, the leaders of North and South Korea met three times in 2000, 2004, and 2018, but few people mention that the intermediary for each meeting was Putin — and this is indeed the case.
There is another detail: there is an interesting person in South Korea who studied and completed postgraduate studies in St. Petersburg and worked there. The new South Korean president plans to appoint him to an important position.
This person proposed at a meeting that an international airport could be built in a border city among Russia, China, and North Korea, similar to Basel Airport located at the border of Switzerland, France, and Germany. This airport has made Basel an important location for hosting international conferences and developing financial businesses.
If such a center were built in Russian territory along the three countries' borders, it might play a similar role. The South Korean who proposed this concept has strategic vision, and North Korea has no reason to oppose it.
Free Media: Can you reveal his name?
Kim: I cannot for now, as it might cause him trouble. I spoke with him yesterday, but I cannot disclose it publicly yet, to avoid being used against him.
Free Media: British intelligence agencies released a report claiming that 6,000 North Korean soldiers died in Kursk Oblast. Pyongyang naturally will not ignore such claims, but why has it made no comments?
Kim: Kiev and London sources previously claimed that about 11,000 North Korean soldiers were in Kursk Oblast. Who would believe that more than half of them died?
Why should Pyongyang comment on such nonsense?
Indeed, there are North Korean fallen soldiers in Kursk Oblast. According to the agreement between the two countries, a monument will be erected for them, with all names inscribed, so we will then know the exact number.
Some streets in Kursk Oblast will be named after fallen heroes from North Korea, and the naming of streets or squares will be discussed by the leaders of both countries, with relevant documents signed at the highest level.
Shoigu's visit also had another agenda: the upcoming anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Cooperation Treaty between Russia and North Korea will be commemorated in the next two days, with related meetings held and a video conference between the highest leaders to be arranged, which also requires discussion regarding its format.
I do not rule out the possibility that the West may provoke incidents in the Far East to divert attention from Middle Eastern issues, so Russia and North Korea should also formulate joint response plans.
Free Media: What role will the construction workers sent by North Korea to Russia play?
Kim: In North Korea, construction work has traditionally been undertaken by the military. Therefore, these workers are not ordinary laborers; they can not only install frames, lay bricks, lay floors, or operate cranes but also possess good combat readiness, and if necessary, can take defensive or offensive actions according to orders.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7517141787732771369/
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