Economics
Putin Puts North Korea Ties Before Missile Threat
- U.S. wants Russia to halt North Korean migrant worker program
- Russia can’t afford to alienate Kim Jong Un, analyst says
How Putin Became the Symbol of Russian Power
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In retrospect, said Vladimir Bogdanov, it wasn’t the best time to start the first passenger-ship service between Russia and North Korea shortly before Kim Jong Un shocked the world by announcing he’s successfully tested a missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland.
“We were in a hurry, thinking we’d be too late. We should have slowed down,” said Bogdanov, who’s organized nine trips since May between Russia’s far east port of Vladivostok and Rajin in North Korea’s Rason special economic zone. “Still, there’s no turning back” for the service, which is loss-making so far after filling at best a quarter of its 193 places each time, he said.