North Korea’s Kim inspects sanctioned fighter jet plant in Russian Far East

As part of a tour that Washington and its allies fear might reinforce Russia’s military in Ukraine and bolster Pyongyang’s missile program, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a Russian fighter aircraft plant on Friday that is subject to Western sanctions. The factory is located in a region of Russia that is now under economic sanctions.

During their meeting on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, and Kim Jong Un, the Leader of North Korea, Discussed Military Matters, the War in Ukraine, and Deepening Cooperation with Kim.
On Friday, the United States and South Korea issued a joint statement in which they stated that military collaboration between North Korea and Russia constituted a violation of U.N. sanctions and that the allies will ensure that there is a price to pay as a result of the violation.

Kim, who is 39 years old, traveled to the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia’s far east on Friday to tour aviation facilities there. He went to the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant and the Yakovlev plant, both of which are owned by United Aircraft Corporation, a company that is blacklisted in the West.

Kim reportedly went to the Gagarin plant, which is also specially sanctioned by the United States. There, he was led by Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov as he observed the assembly workshops where the Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighter and the Su-57 fighter are built.

Kim, who was seen on Russian state television wearing a suit and being escorted by North Korean military personnel in uniform, was shown meticulously studying the cockpit of a fighter jet while Russian authorities explained its capabilities through a translator. The footage was broadcast on Russian state television.

After that, he went to look at a demonstration flight of the Su–35 before inspecting the facilities where the fuselage compartments and wing assemblies of Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 are built. During the performance, he showed his approval by nodding his head.

Russia has gone to great lengths to publicize the visit and has repeatedly dropped hints about the possibility of military cooperation with North Korea, which was established in 1948 with the support of the Soviet Union.

Putin, who claims that Russia is engaged in a fight for its very existence with the West over Ukraine, can use his courtship of Kim to poke fun at Washington and its Asian allies while simultaneously increasing the possibility of gaining a substantial supply of artillery for the conflict in Ukraine.

It is unknown whether any deliveries of arms have been made, despite the fact that Washington has accused North Korea of sending arms to Russia, which has the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world.

WARNING FROM THE U.S.

The United States and South Korea give off the impression that they are troubled by the rekindling of Moscow’s friendship with Pyongyang. They are concerned that Kim Jong-un may gain access to critical missile technology and other forms of Russian technology as a result of this.

Officials from the United States and South Korea issued an appeal to Moscow, urging them to act responsibly in their capacity as a permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

“We agreed to work together to ensure there is a price to pay for the grave violation of Security Council resolutions,” South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin said during a press conference in Seoul. “We agreed to work together to ensure there is a price to pay for the grave violation of Security Council resolutions.”

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security of the United States Bonnie Jenkins, who is now on a visit to South Korea, stated that the United States has issued a strong condemnation of the intensification of defense and political collaboration between Pyongyang and Moscow.

“It should come as no surprise that the current revelations regarding the possible sale of armaments between North Korea and Russia are cause for alarm. She stated that any such shipment of armaments would constitute a violation of the resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council.

However, it was not immediately clear what, if any, leverage the United States and its Asian allies such as South Korea and Japan would have over either Russia or North Korea, both of whom have close relations to China. This was the case despite the fact that South Korea and Japan are allies of the United States.

Although neither Kim nor Putin commented on the warnings issued by the United States, Russian diplomats did their best to defend their country from the criticism.

They argued that Washington had no right to teach Moscow after the United States had boosted its friends throughout the world, notably by sending a nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to South Korea in July. They said that the United States had no right to lecture Moscow because it had bolstered its allies across the world.

The United States Department of State stated on Wednesday that if Russia and North Korea enter into new arms transactions, the administration of Vice President Joe Biden will not hesitate to implement more sanctions against both countries.

The Kremlin has stated that it will comply with U.N. sanctions, but that it reserves the right to cultivate neighborly relations with other countries, including on touchy subjects.

Kim boarded his special train to come in Russia on Tuesday. He met with Putin the following day in Vostochny for a meeting, and it appeared that he spent the majority of Thursday traveling before making an appearance at Komsomolsk-on-Amur, which is some 6,000 kilometers east of Moscow on Friday.

On Friday in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a unique platform was utilized in order to facilitate the driving of his Maybach limousine into his train. This was captured on film.