China and Russia Turn a Blind Eye... North Korea Fosters False Illusion as a 'Nuclear Power'

Joint Statement by China and Russia Leaders Omits 'Denuclearization' in One Year
Unification Research Institute: "US Hostility... Justifies North Korea Provocations"

China and Russia, which have long positioned themselves as North Korea's 'backers,' are being criticized for potentially sending the wrong signals to North Korea by overlooking denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. In a situation where the new Cold War dynamics in the region have become more pronounced, there is concern that North Korea may fall into the illusion of being recognized as a 'nuclear-armed state.'

According to the Korea Institute for National Unification on the 22nd, Lee Jae-young, a research fellow at the North Korea Research Division, pointed out in his report titled "Evaluation of the China-Russia Summit and Its Impact on the Korean Peninsula" that the 'North Korean nuclear issue' disappeared from this year's China-Russia summit joint statement. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China for two days starting on the 16th and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders issued a joint statement marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, but unlike last year, this time there was no mention whatsoever of 'denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right), on a state visit to China, inspects the honor guard with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Just a year ago, in March of last year, the joint statement issued when President Xi visited Russia included calls for restraint from the United States and other involved countries, and contained references to the 'two-track approach' (simultaneous progress of the denuclearization process and peace agreement), which China has promoted as a solution to the Korean Peninsula issue. Lee Jae-young noted, "The content related to the Korean Peninsula has completely changed," adding, "Last year, there was still emphasis on the calmness and restraint of each party and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but this time, the responsibility for escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula was entirely placed on the United States, and the denuclearization solution was completely removed."

In the current joint statement, which omits any mention of the North Korean nuclear issue, China and Russia focused on criticizing the United States. Lee said, "The deepening of bilateral relations is clearly reflected in military cooperation. In particular, they emphasized that they will continue to raise the level of joint responses to risks by expanding the scale of China-Russia joint exercises and regularly organizing maritime and air joint exercises," evaluating that "this is directly aimed at the United States and its allies." The increase in military cooperation between China and Russia is also analyzed as a significant threat to the security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

Furthermore, there is an analysis that China and Russia's misperception of the strengthening of the South Korea-U.S. alliance could influence North Korea's 'nuclear-armed state illusion.' The purpose of strengthening South Korea-U.S. joint exercises is to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile development, but China and Russia perceive these actions as targeting themselves. If the U.S. involvement in regional security is interpreted as a 'threat' and North Korea's provocations are tolerated as 'justified actions' in response to that threat, North Korea could nurture the illusion that it will be recognized as a nuclear-armed state within its bloc.

Lee Jae-young predicted, "The more China and Russia become engrossed in confrontation with the United States, the more North Korea will actively exploit the new Cold War dynamics to its advantage," adding, "It will try to grant political legitimacy to the advancement of its nuclear capabilities."

Protecting North Korea Against the U.S... 'Sanctions Monitoring' Also Neutralized

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, held a brief press conference on the 1st (local time) at the UN Headquarters in New York, representing 50 countries including South Korea, the US, and Japan, to make remarks regarding the expiration of the term of the expert panel under the Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The actions of China and Russia, which protect North Korea, are also neutralizing the ability to impose sanctions against North Korea's military provocations. A representative case is the collapse of the 'Panel of Experts' under the United Nations Security Council's North Korea Sanctions Committee, which has monitored sanctions implementation for the past 15 years, due to Russia.

The Panel of Experts was established in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1874, adopted in response to North Korea's second nuclear test in 2009. It independently investigated various situations suspected of violating North Korea sanctions and published reports twice a year. An attempt was made in March this year to adopt a resolution extending its mandate for one year, but it was vetoed by Russia, one of the permanent members of the Security Council. After 15 years since its establishment, its activities were completely suspended, resulting in the loss of an effective international mechanism to monitor the implementation of North Korea sanctions.

Whenever North Korea conducts high-intensity provocations such as intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, China and Russia have repeatedly used their veto power to prevent new sanctions resolutions from being adopted. Moreover, Russia is suspected of trading weapons with North Korea or supplying large quantities of refined oil while engaged in the war in Ukraine.

Currently, 50 UN member countries, centered on South Korea, the United States, and Japan, are promoting an 'independent monitoring body,' but no significant progress has been reported. According to diplomatic sources, discussions are underway on establishing a new North Korea sanctions monitoring organization within the UN General Assembly or creating a body outside the UN in the form of a country-specific consultative group. A government official stated, "As a Security Council member, the government will work with the international community to devise effective measures to ensure the faithful implementation of North Korea sanctions."

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