#North #Korea #Iran #Alliance
Jakarta –
North Korea is building new relationships with like-minded countries and strengthening old alliances beyond its powerful neighbors Russia and China. Recently, the Iranian regime appears to be of particular concern to Pyongyang and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“Just like in the Cold War, two blocs emerged and North Korea saw this as a good opportunity to stand with Iran and reiterate its opposition to the US,” said Kim Sung Kyung, a professor of North Korean society and culture at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
“North Korea may also see this as a good opportunity to sell weapons and military technology to Tehran and gain economic benefits in return, as there are strong sanctions against both countries that limit what they can gain,” he said.
In late April, North Korea sent a high-level delegation of economic and trade experts on a nine-day visit to Tehran, its first such mission since 2019. With both countries remaining tight-lipped on the details, analysts speculated that the talks would involve military technology , including nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Iran denies talk of a nuclear program
But Tehran rejected the assumption that the delegates discussed cooperation in the field of nuclear technology. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani criticized foreign media for “biased speculation by publishing false and baseless news.”
The following day, North Korean state media condemned the new round of sanctions Washington imposed on Iran as “unfair.” Tehran is believed to have provided Russia with thousands of drones for use in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, and Iran also launched drone and missile attacks against Israel on April 13 in retaliation for the attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria. These latest sanctions target Iran’s ability to produce and use unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Korean Central News Agency also claimed the US had imposed new sanctions on Iran’s steel, auto and drone sectors after they “misrepresented the facts as if Iran was responsible for the worsening regional situation.”
Alliance of communists and theocrats
“Tehran and Pyongyang have a long-standing relationship, which is in many ways paradoxical, because one is a theocratic Islamic regime and the other is a communist personality cult,” said Daniel Pinkston, a professor of international relations at Troy University’s campus in Seoul.
“While the two are very different, they also have some similarities. Both are authoritarian regimes that are intolerant of other countries and have a deep hatred for the US and the West in general,” he told DW. Iran’s leaders often refer to the US as the “Great Satan,” he said, while Pyongyang’s propaganda focuses on “US imperialism.”
North Korea focuses on its closest allies
Despite North Korea’s efforts to deepen its ties with Iran and countries such as Russia, China, Syria and Belarus, Pyongyang has closed its embassies in other countries. Last year, they closed diplomatic missions in Spain, Angola, Uganda, Hong Kong and Nepal.
Some argue that this is due to Pyongyang having difficulty financing the operation of diplomatic outposts, but analysts also argue that North Korean leadership reduces the risk of its diplomats defecting while abroad.
Instead, Pyongyang appears to be focusing on allies that will support it economically and militarily.
Nuclear secrets and drones
Iran and North Korea are expected to show more political and diplomatic support for each other, as Pyongyang supports Iran over Israel and the US, Pinkston said.
“In the past, North Korea provided nuclear technology to Iran, which angered Israel, and it is likely that North Korea will again be able to share what they have developed,” he said. “They will be able to provide data from the nuclear tests they have conducted, they will be able to share best practices regarding their space programs and information from their homegrown satellite programs.”
Drone technology will almost certainly be of great interest to both sides as they seek to improve the capabilities of relatively new but, as seen in Ukraine, highly effective battlefield systems, Pinkston said.
“They will have data back on things like battle damage assessments, the most effective technologies, and possible countermeasures, so they will be able to compare designs.”
Pyongyang needs Iranian oil
North Korea desperately needs oil, one of the main products targeted by international sanctions, but it is possible that Iran could bypass monitoring and take advantage of a trilateral trade agreement with Russia to provide fuel to North Korea, Pinkston said.
Some 22 years after then-US President George W. Bush coined the phrase “axis of evil” in reference to North Korea, Iran and Iraq, analysts warn that a much more powerful bloc is emerging.
“There are countries that are ‘harmed’ because they oppose the US-led world order,” Pinkston said. “Their national interests may not be perfectly aligned, but they have a common component in opposing the West.”
(rs/hp)
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(ita/ita)
