Tokyo, Sep 5 (AP) Kim Jong Un delivered a commanding performance this week at a notable gathering of nearly two dozen world leaders in China, showcasing confidence and a broad smile on what is one of the largest international platforms of his 14-year tenure as the North Korean leader.
Upon Kim's return home Friday, his stint in Beijing signifies a remarkable evolution from his initial, tumultuous years in power. In those early days, many analysts believed that the young, inexperienced leader might struggle to maintain his grip on power amidst numerous challenges.
Serious diplomatic engagements with a broad range of leaders were once thought unimaginable.
Yet in Beijing, Kim appeared as the leader his state propaganda has long endeavored to depict: a significant — perhaps indispensable — player on the world stage, fitting in comfortably among the prominent figures of Eurasia.
Beginning in 2018, when he held the first of his highly publicized meetings with US President Donald Trump, Kim has emerged as a vastly different and more confident leader than when he first inherited the mantle following his father's death in 2011.
While it’s true he hasn't attended the United Nations or any well-established Western global forums, the attendance in Beijing — excluding leaders from the US, Western Europe, or Japan — showed little interest in addressing concerns about human rights violations or his nuclear arsenal. Nonetheless, this week's events mark a pivotal moment in Kim's adept use of global diplomacy to further the ambitions of his largely isolated nation.
He skillfully engaged with his two crucial allies, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, sharing laughter and promising sustained assistance to Moscow in its conflict with Ukraine. He also bolstered an occasionally unstable relationship with China. Kim confidently mingled with world leaders at a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of World War II's conclusion.
Displaying newfound self-assurance, he included his young daughter, potentially his successor, in his entourage.
“He now appears a seasoned realist and political survivor. Beyond human rights violations and nuclear missile development, Kim has incorporated astute diplomacy into his authoritarian toolkit,” commented Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
Historically, the most notable international trip for a North Korean leader involved an occasional armored train journey to China — where he would be somewhat patronizingly celebrated by his country's sole genuine ally, a source of economic, diplomatic, and military support in a region filled with adversaries.
Kim continues to utilize the bullet-proof green train, and his latest foreign foray was indeed to Beijing. However, the similarities end there.
It Began with Three Meetings with Donald Trump Kim and Trump met one-on-one in Singapore in 2018 and then in Vietnam in 2019. Subsequent talks took place later at the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
These were the first summits between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. The discussions did not halt North Korea’s lengthy quest for nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to far-reaching targets — objectives which have invited severe international sanctions.
Criticism abounded that Trump helped transform Kim’s global image, from pariah to a legitimate dialogue partner.
“The 2018 and 2019 summits and Trump’s interest in another are 'gifting Kim the legitimacy he craves,'” said Jeff Kingston, a specialist on Asia at Temple University Japan. “Moving forward, Kim will use Trump to gain attention and seek aid, employing an old strategy that has sustained this dynastic regime.”
Kim's recent diplomatic ventures also include two prominent trips to Russia: in April 2019, for a summit with Putin in Vladivostok, and in September 2023 to meet again with Putin at a space facility.
A Significant Departure from His Father’s Diplomatic Approach Kim Jong Un's grandfather, North Korea’s founder Kim Il Sung, was more adventurous in his travels, but Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, infamously avoided flying, adhering to travel by special armored train.
During his 17-year rule, Kim Jong Il made about a dozen international journeys. Nearly all were train trips to China. He was, in fact, traveling by train when he died in 2011.
Experts infer that North Korea's previous rulers arguably avoided gatherings with multiple heads of state in attendance, wary of damaging North Korean propaganda positioning them as unparalleled leaders — and in light of international denunciation of their nuclear licensure.
Conversely, visits to China were deemed vital. Like his son, Kim Jong Il understood the necessity of paying respects to Beijing, which furnishes North Korea with everything from fuel to shrimp chips and constitutes North Korea's principal transportation link, via air and rail, to the outer world.
Of course, such dependency renders the Kim dynasty vulnerable — a factor driving Kim Jong Un to extend his diplomatic network. When he spotted an opportunity to aid heavily sanctioned, isolated Russia, he swiftly capitalized on it, reportedly sending thousands of North Korean troops and substantial military equipment to fortify Russian forces against Ukrainian defenders in exchange for economic and military support.
This Week’s Military Parade in Beijing Stands As a Zenith Xi invited 26 foreign leaders to Wednesday’s grand military parade.
However, there was particular excitement around Kim.
Xi invited Kim to stand beside him and Putin on the rostrum at Tiananmen Square. The three leaders advanced shoulder-to-shoulder to the platform, pausing to exchange handshakes with WWII veterans.
As Kim basks in the afterglow of his Beijing trip, an outstanding and unresolved issue remains regarding future negotiations with Washington over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
While Trump has continuously expressed a desire to engage in discussions, North Korea has declined those overtures.
Kim has conducted a considerably higher number of weapons tests than his father and grandfather, persisting amid widespread international condemnation and severe sanctions, apparently convinced that nuclear arms alone ensure his nation's survival.
Kim’s recent success in Beijing appears to augment his leverage in any forthcoming negotiations.
“He has now taken to the international stage with the confidence of a strategic power,” commented Koh Yu-hwan, former president of South Korea’s Korean Institute for National Unification, “and you could say he has been treated accordingly.” (AP) RD RD
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