Putin to meet with Kim Jong Un in first North Korea trip since 2000
'Putin's Playbook' author Rebekah Koffler joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss why Putin is traveling to North Korea for the first time in 24 years and her take on NATO taking nuclear weapons out of storage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Tuesday, beginning a historic visit to the hermit kingdom expected to further forge a political coalition between the two former Soviet-governed states.
Putin's visit to the country is the first in more than two decades.
"Pyongyang has always been our committed and like-minded supporter, ready to confront the ambition of the collective West to prevent the emergence of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect for sovereignty and consideration of each other’s interests," Putin wrote in an op-ed published Tuesday in North Korean state newspapers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly stops in the Russian city of Yakutsk during his journey to North Korea. (Sergei Karpukhin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
In the op-ed, Putin emphasized the fact that North Korean history and geopolitics are inexorably linked to Russia and the regional communist bloc that formed in the 20th century.
"Russia has supported the DPRK and its heroic people in the struggle to defend their rights to choose the road of independence, originality and development by themselves in the confrontation with the cunning, dangerous and aggressive enemy yesterday and tomorrow, too, and will invariably support them in the future, too."
Following the division of Korea due to Imperial Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, the area above the 38th parallel was directly governed by the Soviet Union.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang, Jan. 15, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, was founded in 1948 with direct influence from Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
While the Russian government has moved beyond the ideology of the Soviet-era, figures such as Stalin remain in use as cultural symbols of pride. Putin has repeatedly championed the international bonds forged among Russia, China, North Korea and other nations formed around communism.
"In his op-ed, Putin made the case for […] Russia and North Korea to join forces in ‘opposing’ the 'collective West,'" former U.S. Defense intel officer and strategic military analyst Rebekah Koffler told Fox News Digital.
In the piece, Putin accused the U.S. of "seeking to impose on the world […] a global neo-colonial dictatorship based on double standards."
HERE'S WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PUTIN'S 'BIG AGENDA' TRIP TO NORTH KOREA
A billboard featuring Russia's President Vladimir Putin is seen on a building in Pyongyang, North Korea. Putin arrived for a two-day visit on Tuesday. (Contributor/Getty Images)
"Putin will use these U.S. foes to supplement Russia’s weapons arsenal and to help unbalance Washington, in order to slow down and disrupt its decision-making, especially during a crisis," Koffler told Fox News Digital.
Anthony Ruggiero of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital that the trip bolsters the credibility of international reports that "Kim Jong Un plays a pivotal role in Russia's war in Ukraine."
"The Biden administration should increase implementation of existing U.S. sanctions on North Korea, including targeting its revenue generation and sanctions evaders," Ruggiero told Fox News Digital.
He added, "Kim is comfortable with the current situation, which allows him to help Putin and continue Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development. The Biden administration should increase pressure on Pyongyang and its enablers in Russia and China."
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President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during a past meeting outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, Russia. (Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday that the Department of Defense is aware of Putin's visit to Pyongyang and Hanoi, adding the cooperation is concerning, especially to anyone interested in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
"You’re well aware of DPRK providing ammunition and weapons to Russia, that’s been able to help them perpetuate their illegal and unprovoked war against the Ukrainian people," Ryder said. "So, it’s something that we’re going to keep an eye on. I would say, though, taking a step back, our focus when it comes to the Indo-Pacific region and the Korean Peninsula is working with allies and partners to promote peace, stability and security in the region."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been enthusiastic about building associations with Russia and China in order to build international legitimacy despite his country's dismal human rights record.
Putin last visited North Korea in 2000, when the hereditary dictatorship was under the control of Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il.
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The Kim family — sometimes referred to as the Mount Paektu bloodline — is the hereditary dictatorship of the country founded by communist revolutionary Kim Il Sung.
North Korea operates under the state ideology of Juche, a quasi-communist worldview founded on a cult of personality and enthusiastic nationalism.
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