Quick Take: North Korea and BRICS

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui recently attended the Fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum in Russia and the First BRICS Women’s Forum held on the sidelines of the Eurasian women’s forum.[1]

Earlier, in June, a North Korean Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports delegation attended a BRICS sports ministers meeting in Russia, which seems to be the first time the North attended a BRICS event. This followed a protocol on sports exchange North Korea and Russia signed in February, when Russia also invited North Korea to take part in the June BRICS sports games.

Though these BRICS events were not security-specific, North Korea’s participation in itself may be a significant first step because Pyongyang and Moscow, over the past year, have indicated that they would work together at regional and international levels to establish a new security dynamic.[2] The new DPRK-Russia treaty signed in June 2024 also includes provisions on the two countries’ cooperation regionally and internationally.

Notably, the second part of Article 7 of the new treaty stipulates: “Based on reciprocity, the two Parties shall cooperate on and support the other’s accession to relevant international and regional organizations.”[3] This means Russia can help North Korea join regional and international organizations.

It is unclear at this point whether North Korea will continue to participate in events hosted by BRICS or any other organizations of which Russia is a member (earlier this year, a North Korean delegation attended a “Eurasia IT forum”). What is clear is that there has been a notable uptick in North Korea’s interest in BRICS since the summer of 2023, as it started aligning more closely with Russia, possibly because Pyongyang sees new opportunities or a chance to expand its role internationally within certain networks. For that reason alone, North Korea’s handling of BRICS and other multilateral networks would be worth tracking.

1. [1]

   In 2018, North Korea sent Ri Hye Jong, then vice chairperson of the Supreme People’s Assembly and president of the Academy of Social Sciences, to the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum in Russia.

2. [2]

   In an article he contributed to North Korea’s party daily Rodong Sinmun, on the eve of his arrival in Pyongyang for a summit with Kim Jong Un, Putin said: “Also, along with this, [we] will build an equal and inseparable security structure in Eurasia.” “로씨야와 조선민주주의인민공화국: 년대를 이어가는 친선과 협조의 전통—로씨야련방 대통령 웨.뿌찐 [Russia and the DPRK: Tradition of Friendship and Cooperation Continued Over Decades—Russian Federation President V. Putin],” Rodong Sinmun, June 18, 2024.

3. [3]

   Translated from “조선민주주의인민공화국과 로씨야련방사이의 포괄적인 전략적동반자관계에 관한 조약 [Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the DPRK and the Russian Federation],” Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), June 20, 2024.