North Korea sees a ‘surge’ of Russian jets in its skies

Growing Russian air traffic in North Korean airspace raises Western concern over deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.

North Korean airspace has seen an “unprecedented surge” of Russian planes in the past year, said a flight data analysis published Tuesday (September 10, 2024), indicating growing links between Pyongyang and Moscow that have raised Western concern.

Kim Jong Un’s isolated nuclear-armed country sealed its borders in early 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and only began allowing international flights again last year, in limited numbers.

But the country’s airspace has “roared to life” with some 350 flights, said an analysis by South Korea-based specialist site NK Pro, thanks in part to “an unprecedented surge in Russian aircraft visiting the DPRK”, referring to North Korea by its official name.

“The records reveal a steady upward trend in flights from July 2023 to August 2024 following the almost total suspension of air travel for three and a half years, including an increase in Russian government and military flights that far surpasses pre-pandemic levels,” the report said.

“The sharp uptick in Russian air traffic points to deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, a trend accelerated by Russia’s growing international isolation following its invasion of Ukraine,” it added.

Ties between Russia and North Korea have strengthened in recent years, with Kim signing a mutual defence agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he made a rare visit to Pyongyang in June this year.

Washington and Seoul claim Pyongyang is breaching arms control measures by supplying weapons to Russia to use in its war in Ukraine.