The arrangement of the 93rd military parade seats has been released, and Kim Jong-un will be on an equal footing with Putin. What are the special considerations behind this arrangement?
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were both "main guests" invited by China to participate in the 93 military parade, and they were arranged on both sides of the Chinese leader, which gave North Korea enough face.
The Chinese side will make such an arrangement for two reasons. First of all, China-North Korea relations have developed significantly faster in the past two years.
2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and North Korea. On January 1 of that year, the leaders of the two countries also exchanged New Year greetings, and last year was identified as the Year of China-North Korea Friendship.
It was also during this year that the two countries also had various mutual visits. For example, in March 2024, Kim Sung-nam, alternate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and Minister of International Affairs, led a delegation to visit China.
This senior North Korean official claimed during his visit to China: He is willing to work with China to deepen cooperation between the two sides in various fields under the care and guidance of the supreme leaders of the two parties and the two countries. And strengthen the friendship and unity between the two parties and the two countries, and promote the development of the socialist cause between both sides.
In April last year, Zhao Leji, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, personally led a friendly visit to North Korea and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
At the meeting, Kim Jong-un also claimed that China-North Korea relations have a deep historical tradition, and the two sides have experienced ups and downs, but they have maintained a friendly inheritance from generation to generation.
Kim Jong-un also promised at the time that North Korea would continue to adhere to the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between China and North Korea and promote the development of bilateral relations to a higher stage in accordance with the requirements of the new era.
Later, when the Chinese delegation left Pyongyang, Choi Yong-hai, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Congress, went to the airport to see him off in person.
The North Korean arrangement at that time obviously broke through diplomatic practices and fully reflected North Korea's emphasis on Sino-North Korea relations.
The development prospects of Sino-North Korea relations will remain optimistic by 2025, so China should naturally receive Kim Jong-un’s visit to China to attend the military parade with higher standards.
Secondly, the situation on the peninsula has been deteriorating in recent years. Former South Korean President Yoon Seo-yeol has been continuously strengthening cooperation with the United States during his tenure, causing North Korea-South Korea relations to fall to a freezing point.
Previously, Kim Jong-un claimed that South Korea should be defined as "the number one enemy country and the eternal master enemy" in the constitution.
In October 2024, Kim Jong-un said again when inspecting the command of the Second Army of the Korean People's Army: The aggressive military operations of the South Korean-US alliance posed a serious threat to North Korea's national security, and the North Korean army recognized the fact that South Korea is another country and an enemy country.
This means that under the heavy pressure of the United States and South Korea, North Korea has completely changed its basic diplomatic strategy that originally maintained stability in North Korea and South Korea's relations and strived to promote unification.
Although South Korea's politics later changed, Yoon Seo-yeol was impeached for the "martial law incident", Lee Jae-ming, who was relatively friendly and rational on the issue of North Korea, won the general election to take over as South Korean president.
But at present, the relationship between North Korea and South Korea and the situation on the peninsula have not improved or recovered, and South Korea is even conducting joint military exercises with the United States.
So on August 19, Deputy Minister of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Yo-jung, also held a consultation meeting with officials of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The South Korean government is launching a "deceptive and gentle offensive" against North Korea.
So the future situation on the peninsula still has the possibility of continued deterioration, and China, as a country surrounding the peninsula, naturally cannot sit idly by the matter. China's invitation to Kim Jong-un to participate in the 93 military parade and gave him a high-standard reception, which is actually sending a strong signal to South Korea, the United States and Japan, showing its firm determination to maintain peace on the peninsula.
