20 June 2024
King's academics shares insights amid surprise summit
The ongoing war in Ukraine has driven Russia closer to North Korea as it seeks ways to circumvent international sanctions, a King’s College London academic has said.
Professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo, head of the Department of European and International Studies, said the burgeoning relationship between the two states is a “marriage of convenience” and a means for Vladimir Putin to continue his war against Ukraine.
Kim Jung-un, meanwhile, may use the opportunity to secure food, technology and military support from Russia as it struggles against its own regime of sanctions.
In an interview with Reuters, Professor Pacheco Pardo said Russia has been “compelled” into a pact with Kim by its hostility in Ukraine.
Speaking to VOA News, Professor Pacheco Pardo said the concessions extracted by Kim had been a “surprise” to many observers, while Professor Pacheco Pardo was also a guest of Spanish outlet El Pais and BBC News as news of Putin’s visit to North Korea, the first in more than 20 years, emerged.
El Pais also spoke to Prof Pacheco Pardo about alarm among politicians about the implications of North Korea's support for Russia's war. Interviews with RTVE and JoongAng Ilbo discussed the wider, geopolitical implications.
Prof Pacheco Pardo was also interviewed by the BBC as the news emerged that Kim Jung-un has started construction of a border wall with South Korea.
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Head of the Department of European & International Studies and Professor of International Relations