Bromance: The unprecedented meeting between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin at the Vostotchny cosmodrome
A historic meeting took place recently between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East. This highly publicized meeting was widely commented on and symbolizes the relations between the two countries.
The choice of the Vostotchny cosmodrome for this meeting has an important symbolic meaning. Indeed, it represents Russia’s desire to ensure its technological independence in the space field and to show what it can bring to North Korea in terms of scientific and technological cooperation.
The Vostochny Cosmodrome, located in the Amur region of Siberia, was built to replace the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which had been used by Russia for more than 40 years. Construction of Vostochny began in 2007 and was presented as a flagship project of the Russian space program. However, the site was marred by corruption cases, which delayed its commissioning.
Despite everything, Vladimir Putin chose to highlight the Vostochny cosmodrome for his meeting with Kim Jong-un, in order to demonstrate Russia’s technological advances in the space field and its independence vis-à-vis other countries. This meeting on a non-military site also shows the desire of the two leaders to favor peaceful cooperation in the field of space exploration.
For Kim Jong-un, this meeting also has important meaning. The North Korean leader recently expressed interest in developing spy satellites to counter hostile actions by Western countries. The meeting with Vladimir Putin at the Vostotchny cosmodrome therefore symbolizes his interest in space technology and his desire to strengthen ties between North Korea and Russia in this area.
Beyond the political issues, this meeting between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin also marks a certain complicity between the two leaders, even a form of “bromance”. The images of their meeting show knowing smiles and friendly gestures, testifying to a certain closeness between the two men.
In conclusion, the meeting between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny cosmodrome illustrates both Russia’s technological advances in the space field, North Korea’s interest in spy satellite technology, and a certain complicity between the two leaders. This meeting has caused a lot of ink to be spilled and will continue to be commented on in the media, as the political and strategic issues are so important.