Kherson Talks with North Korea

A Russian-installed official from occupied Kherson traveled to Moscow this week to court North Korea for agriculture and other joint projects. (themoscowtimes.com) Vladimir Saldo, who heads the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, met North Korean Ambassador Sin Hong Chol at the North Korean Embassy in Moscow, according to Saldo’s statement and media reports published April 18. The discussions covered agriculture, humanitarian initiatives, culture, sports and education. (themoscowtimes.com) Ukrinform, citing Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, reported that Saldo signed a “memorandum” with the ambassador on grain supplies from occupied territory and on “humanitarian contacts.” That account went further than the initial Moscow Times report by describing the grain as Ukrainian grain taken from temporarily occupied areas. (ukrinform.net) Kherson is one of four Ukrainian regions that Russia claimed to annex in September 2022 after so-called referendums held under occupation. A United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted on October 12, 2022 said those votes were invalid and called on states not to recognize any change to Ukraine’s borders. (digitallibrary.un.org) That legal backdrop is why meetings like this draw scrutiny: occupation administrations have little international standing on their own, so foreign contacts can be used to project a picture of normal diplomacy. Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation said the Kherson-North Korea document fit a Kremlin effort to create an “illusion of international recognition” for occupied territories. (ukrinform.net) North Korea has already shown a willingness to recognize Russian-backed entities in Ukraine. In July 2022, Pyongyang recognized the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics,” according to North Korean state media as reported by NK News. (nknews.org) Moscow and Pyongyang have also widened their state-to-state relationship since Vladimir Putin visited North Korea in June 2024 and signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty with Kim Jong Un. Analysts at 38 North wrote this month that North Korea is likely to keep deepening ties with Russia for military and economic reasons. (38north.org) The New York Times reported on April 10 that Russia’s push now extends beyond weapons and diplomacy into tourism, culture, food and academic exchanges with North Korea. Saldo’s meeting in Moscow placed occupied Kherson inside that broader Russia-North Korea network. (nytimes.com) Saldo presented the talks as practical cooperation in farming and social sectors. Kyiv, through its disinformation watchdog, cast the same meeting as another attempt to legitimize Russian rule in land the United Nations still recognizes as Ukrainian. (themoscowtimes.com)