There is an old adage in international politics: There are no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies — only eternal national interests. 

North Korea and Russia’s recent, rapid rapprochement brings this time-honored maxim back to the forefront. 

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North Korea’s Foreign Minister, Choe Son Hui, recently visited Moscow to hold talks with her Russian counterpart and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed their “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” and publicly stated their will to deepen cooperation across political, economic, and military spheres. 

On the surface, this might look like yet another routine diplomatic event. However, in international politics, one must read the background rather than simply count the meetings. 

Just a few years ago, relations between Pyongyang and Moscow were not nearly this close. For a long time, the center of North Korea’s diplomacy was China. While Russia maintained a steady role on Korean Peninsula issues, North Korea-Russia ties were not considered a variable capable of shifting the dynamics of Northeast Asia. 

The war in Ukraine, however, severely disrupted this balance. 

As the war prolonged, Russia began to find itself increasingly isolated from the established international order. Western economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure drove Moscow to seek new partners. Simultaneously, trapped under heavy international sanctions, North Korea was in desperate need of a diplomatic........

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