NKorea Showcases New Weapons to Russia, China

Facts

• North Korea's state-run media reported Friday that Kim Jong Un displayed the nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), including its most powerful weapon, the Hwasong-18, in a military parade in Pyongyang on Thursday.¹
• The event celebrating the 70th anniversary of the self-proclaimed "Victory Day" in the Korean War also featured ceremonial flyovers of two newly developed spy and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, allegedly resembling US Global Hawk and Reapers drones.²
• Sharing center stage with the North Korean leader at Kim Il Sung Square were Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Communist Party senior official Li Hongzhong.³
• These high-level visits mark Beijing's first delegation to North Korea since the outbreak of the pandemic as well as the first time Moscow sent its top defense official to the reclusive nation since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.⁴
• Two of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia have consistently opposed stricter measures against North Korea's ongoing ballistic missile launches and nuclear program.⁵
• Drawing attention to Shoigu's rare trip to Pyongyang, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday alleged that Russia is likely looking for weapons to continue its stalled military operations in Ukraine.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Guardian, ³New York Post, ⁴Forbes, ⁵Korea Herald, and ⁶The Moscow Times.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Washington Post. This is yet a further example that a powerful anti-Western authoritarian alliance is indeed taking shape as North Korea, Russia, and the PRC deepen their ties due to strategic circumstances. While distrust may cause this bloc to collapse in the long run, the West cannot afford to just wait and watch. New and innovative military, diplomatic, and economic strategies are needed to fight autocrats.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global Times. China, North Korea, and Russia have all been threatened by the US and its puppet military allies, a situation too reminiscent of the invasion of the Korean Peninsula in 1950. Therefore, by jointly commemorating the 70th anniversary of the North's victory in its Liberation War, they have sent a strong message that the US must stop its wrongdoing to avoid fueling tensions that can only bring tragedy to the world.

Predictions