Following the US-ROK Lead... Kim Jong-un Confirms Russia's Hypersonic Missile

Kim Jong-un Inspects Russian Strategic Weapons During Visit to Russia
South Korea and US Defense Ministers Pose Similarly Under Strategic Bomber
North Korea-Russia Military Cooperation Level Expected to Gradually Increase

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un staged a scene where he personally inspected Russia's hypersonic missile 'Kinzhal' during the final leg of his visit to Russia. This is evaluated as a demonstration of the power of strategic weapons aimed at South Korea, the United States, and Japan, as well as the potential for military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

According to related authorities on the 17th, Chairman Kim visited the Knevichi military airfield near Vladivostok International Airport in Primorsky Krai, Russia, the previous day, where he toured major equipment of the Russian Aerospace Forces together with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. Shoigu, who had been invited to the 'Armed Equipment Exhibition' during his visit to North Korea for the 70th anniversary of Victory Day in July, reversed roles this time to continue military cooperation efforts.

Kim Jong-un (left) inspecting Russian strategic weapons during his visit to Russia, and Lee Jong-seop, Minister of National Defense, receiving a briefing on the operational use of strategic bombers at Andrews Air Force Base, USA, in November last year.

One of the main weapons introduced to Chairman Kim by Minister Shoigu was the Kh-47 Kinzhal missile system, a hypersonic missile mounted on the MiG-31 fighter jet. The Kinzhal is a representative missile of Russia, which is competing with the West in hypersonic missile development, and has recently been used in airstrikes during the war in Ukraine. After being launched from the fighter jet, it accelerates with its own propulsion system and is known to reach a top speed of 12,350 km/h within a range of 2,000 km. This speed exceeds Mach 10.

Photos distributed by the Russian Ministry of Defense show Chairman Kim personally touching the Kinzhal missile. This scene is reminiscent of the visit by South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin to the United States in November last year for the 54th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM). At that time, Minister Lee received a direct briefing on the capabilities and operational use of the B-52 and B-1B at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

Earlier in September, during discussions of the South Korea-U.S. Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG), South Korean Deputy Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul visited the same base and personally inspected the nuclear warhead section under the wing of the B-52 strategic bomber, a scene similar to this.

Kim Jong-un examining the Russian hypersonic missile 'Kinzhal'
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

North Korea is also pursuing the development and deployment of hypersonic missiles as a key task, showing Chairman Kim's interest in Russia's representative strategic weapons already used in actual combat. It is also evaluated that there was an intention to reveal the possibility of cooperation in the field of strategic weapons between North Korea and Russia.

North Korea claimed success through state media after launching a hypersonic missile under Chairman Kim's supervision in January last year, stating that it hit a set target within a 1,000 km range. However, the South Korean military assessed that this missile was not hypersonic. Additionally, when Minister Shoigu visited North Korea's 'Armed Equipment Exhibition' in July, the hypersonic missile previously revealed under the name Hwasong-8 was newly renamed as the 'ground-to-ground medium-to-long-range Hwasong-12 variant' and showcased.

In particular, on this day, Minister Shoigu introduced a strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons to Chairman Kim, mentioning that one model "can fly from Moscow to Japan and return." Mentioning Japan could be an attempt to simply showcase the bomber's range or operational radius, but it can also be interpreted in light of recent trilateral moves by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

Kim Jong-un visits Vladivostok [Photo by Yonhap News]

The fact that Chairman Kim's schedule took place the day after South Korean and U.S. deputy ministers of foreign affairs and defense held the 4th EDSCG meeting in Seoul to discuss strengthening extended deterrence against North Korea also indicates an intention by North Korea and Russia to demonstrate strategic alignment in 'checking the United States.' South Korea and the U.S. strongly warned immediately after the meeting that there would be consequences for military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

Amid discussions of possible joint exercises involving North Korea-Russia or North Korea-China-Russia in response to South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation, the 'showcase event' of Russian strategic weapons conducted by Chairman Kim and Minister Shoigu is expected to lead to an increase in the level of military cooperation between the two countries in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.