North Korea has remained silent on the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where leaders from the U.S., China, Japan, and other nations will convene. While seemingly disinterested in APEC, Pyongyang has sent a clear no dialogue signal to the U.S. and South Korea through missile launches, while simultaneously strengthening its ties with Russia.
The ruling party’s newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that on October 24, Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial honoring overseas military operations on the previous day. The ceremony commemorated soldiers deployed to Russia while underscoring the growing North Korea–Russia alliance.
During his speech, Kim declared that neither the substantial aid from the U.S. and the West could quell the righteous blood flowing through the veins of the two nations, nor could the fanatical brutality of fascism overcome the indomitable spirit and valor. This statement clearly signaled the alignment of North Korea and Russia in their anti-U.S. stance.
Kim further emphasized that the valiant sons of the nation and the Russian people have demonstrated the might of the North Korea–Russia alliance through decisive victories. As long as justice stands with us, the ambitions of hegemonic powers will inevitably crumble, a fact now etched into the annals of history.
Earlier, North Korea launched its new nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, the Hwasong-11, on October 22, marking its first ballistic missile provocation since President Lee Jae Myung took office. Pyongyang claims the missile has a range of approximately 430 km (about 267 miles), comparable to the distance from Pyongyang to Gyeongju (about 450 km, 280 miles), suggesting a deliberate show of force in the face of U.S. and South Korean leadership.
Analysts interpret this action as both a bid to assert North Korea’s presence ahead of APEC and a move by Kim to preemptively distance himself from any potential emergency meeting with former President Donald Trump.
Kim’s personal involvement in showcasing closer ties with Russia, following these provocations, is seen as a strategic maneuver to underscore that North Korea’s diplomatic focus is not currently directed toward the U.S. or South Korea.
Professor Lim Eul-chul from Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies commented that this signals a low probability of a surprise meeting between Kim and former President Trump during APEC. He added that given the ongoing war in Ukraine and persistent U.S.–Russia tensions, it’s implausible to imagine Kim meeting Trump while touting a North Korea–Russia blood alliance.
In a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly last month, Kim asserted that time is on their side regarding the current global situation, claiming that their position improves as time passes. Consequently, it is widely believed that North Korea will not engage in meetings without a clear agenda, especially when there are no pressing issues to resolve with the U.S.