North Korea’s Kim Jong-un was all smiles when he arrived in Beijing earlier this week. During his stay, he appeared even more pleased, and now he is laughing all the way back to Pyongyang – even if the train journey is both long and tiring.
At the grand military parade on Wednesday, Kim stood shoulder to shoulder with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Since then, images from the event have been broadcast non-stop on North Korean television. For Kim, the visit was a welcome triumph and a rare opportunity to present himself as a global statesman.
Other images attracted almost as much attention: Kim had brought along his daughter Ju Ae and placed her visibly at his side. The twelve-year-old is referred to in North Korean media as “The Beloved Daughter.” Her entrance onto the international stage is interpreted as a sign of who is to inherit the throne.
In this way, Kim showed that not only he, but the entire family stands firmly rooted in the authoritarian community.
The parade in Beijing was held to mark the end of World War II in Asia. China contributed significantly to Japan’s capitulation, but Koreans also fought and suffered. The Korean Peninsula had been under Japanese occupation since 1910 when the war ended. By then, several hundred thousand Koreans had perished on the battlefield.
The Kim family’s contribution to the resistance struggle is likely exaggerated in North Korean propaganda. It is nevertheless a fact that the current Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, became the first leader of independent North Korea.
It was therefore not unnatural to invite Kim Jong-un to the anniversary celebration. His position has also been strengthened by the war in Ukraine. By granting Putin’s request to send North Korean soldiers to the front, he has earned applause in both Moscow and Beijing.
According to British intelligence, North Korea has so far contributed between 12,000 and 15,000 soldiers – and many have returned home in coffins. The number of dead and wounded is estimated at more than 6,000. Nevertheless, North Korea is said to have agreed to send thousands more in the coming months, according to sources in Kyiv.
North Korea also delivers large quantities of artillery, missiles, and ammunition. The soldiers are largely used for support functions, but a significant number are also sent to the front. Ukraine has referred to the North Koreans as “cannon fodder,” claiming they only serve to prolong the war.
The question is whether North Korea is thereby weakening its own defense capability. The country’s forces are heavily based on massed artillery aimed at South Korea. If stockpiles are depleted too much, North Korea may become more dependent on rapid Russian support. South Korean experts, however, believe Kim still has significant reserves.
In return, Pyongyang receives vital supplies from Moscow – food, fuel, and new military technology. Experiences from the battlefield can also be used to modernize the armed forces, and in the background, Kim has a growing arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Several experts therefore believe Kim Jong-un is taking a calculated risk. He sends large amounts of old but functional artillery to Russia, fully aware that nuclear deterrence and Russian technology provide a more lasting shield. The result could be that North Korea trades short-term firepower for long-term modernization – thereby altering the balance on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim’s strengthened position also rests on old and new agreements. China and North Korea have had a mutual defense pact since 1953. Ties with Russia are more recent: in June last year, Putin and Kim signed a new treaty on strategic partnership. It includes a mutual defense clause and marks the closest military cooperation since the Cold War. The agreements give Kim a welcome opportunity to ride two horses at once.
Putin is not willing to end the Ukraine war, and we must assume he used the meetings in Beijing to air his future plans. Putin, Xi, and Kim are, of course, fully aware of the divisions in the Western camp, so why withdraw their forces?
Thus, Kim can look forward to what comes next. That young North Koreans fall on the battlefield in Ukraine concerns him little, as long as he strengthens his own position on the global stage. On the way home, he has plenty of time to consider his next move, since the antiquated train runs at only 60 kilometers per hour – and the distance is 800 kilometers.
Once it rolls into North Korea, he is confronted with the harsh reality of home. Kim has ruled since 2011, but the country remains poor. While South Korea ranks 15th on the list of the world’s richest countries (GDP), its neighbor to the north sits at number 135.
The main reason is the Kim family’s suffocating political control and a failed economic policy. On top of that, 20–25 percent of GDP goes to military purposes, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
North Korea has had negative economic growth for several years. The situation was markedly worsened by the pandemic, which caused border trade with China to grind to a halt. Only in the past two years has the country returned to the black, and this year growth is expected to reach 3.5 percent.
Nevertheless, war hysteria and sky-high defense spending continue to drain the strength of the country’s 25 million inhabitants. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that around 40 percent of the population is chronically undernourished.
Many experts have expressed doubt as to whether North Korean soldiers can make much difference in Ukraine. The Russians, they say, must do the job themselves, which is true enough. But for Putin, small contributions are better than none. North Korea’s participation is also confirmation that he is not alone in the world.
He would probably wish that China could contribute more, but Xi Jinping is reluctant to ruin cooperation with the US and other Western countries. In 1950, Chairman Mao threw several hundred thousand soldiers into the Korean War. Horrific numbers never came home, and relations with the US were completely shattered.
Kim Jong-un, however, does not think that way. And once he is back home, Russia’s ambassador will soon knock on the door and ask for even more brotherly help.
This commentary was published by Dagsavisen on September 4, 2025
