North Korean Leader Kim Yong Nam in Venezuela; Could Pyongyang Provide Caracas with Much Needed Military Assistance?

North Korean Presidium President Kim Yong Nam, the world’s second oldest head of state at over 90 years old, has paid a visit to Venezuela and met with the embattled South American nation’s President, Nicholas Maduro. Pyongyang has long maintained close ties to a number of socialist and communist states in Latin America, and with both it and Caracas facing growing tensions with and harsh economic sanctions from the Western Bloc - the two appear to be making efforts to close ranks in the face of a common threat. While both states formally adhere to socialist ideology, the implementation of this in their respective countries has been vastly different - a key example being that the vast majority of North Korea’s economy is state run, where in Venezuela private enterprise continues to dominate. While the Korean Workers' Party is the oldest ruling party in the world, celebrating 70 years in power as of 2018, Venezuela’s political and economic stability has been tenuous at best. Despite their considerable differences however, a common threat faced by the two countries is likely to facilitate a move towards unprecedented levels of interstate cooperation.

With Venezuela facing a number of threats from the United States and several of its neighbours, Brazil foremost among them, the country’s armed forces have increasingly looked to friendly states for assistance in training and for modern equipment. While Venezuela’s armed forces are the most modern in Latin America by a considerable margin, fielding high end weapons systems such as Su-30MK2 air superiority fighters and S-300VM long range missile systems, their training is thought to leave something to be desired. With North Korea’s armed forces themselves having provided training to a number of the Western Bloc’s adversaries with considerable results, Hezbollah, Syria, Yemen and Cuba among them, and the country could potentially serve as a key source of military knowhow to the Latin state. As Venezuela is currently facing an economic crisis and gross hyperinflation, which has forestalled plans to expand its arsenal of the latest Russian hardware - reportedly including planned orders for Su-35 air superiority fighters - the country may well turn to less costly North Korean weapons systems to strengthen its defences. While North Korea does not export fighter jets, it does manufacture advanced air defence systems such as the KN-06, anti ship cruise missile systems such as the Kumsong-3 and a wide variety of other equipment from armoured fighting vehicles and battle tanks to ballistic missies and radar systems.

President Kim reportedly told President Maduro that “the relationship between (North Korea) and Venezuela is developing into a sincere and familiar friendship. It is developing into a relationship between reliable comrades." He further encouraged the Venezuelan head of state in his people’s "struggle for anti-imperialist self-reliance, peace and socialism.” The two leaders reportedly concluded a number of high level agreements, though whether these were solely in the economic sphere, or whether they also included military cooperation, remains uncertain. President Kim is expected to visit a number of Latin American states, including Cuba where defence cooperation is also expected to be expanded considerably.