Kuala lumpur: North Korea is expected to shun a regional security forum hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Malaysia this week, in what would mark, if confirmed, its first absence from the multilateral gathering in 25 years. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which includes major powers such as the United States, China, Japan, and Russia, has historically served as the only multilateral meeting regularly attended by Pyongyang.
According to Yonhap News Agency, North Korea became a member of the forum in 2000, six years after its inception. Since joining, North Korea has consistently sent top diplomats or ambassadors from Southeast Asian countries to the event, marking the ARF as a rare diplomatic venue for North Korean officials to engage with counterparts from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.
South Korea has utilized the ARF to garner support for peace and denuclearization efforts on the Korean Peninsula, while North Korea has leveraged its participation to counter these efforts, often relying on its relationships with China and Russia. As of Thursday, a day before the ARF's scheduled commencement, no announcement regarding North Korea's participation had been made.
A diplomatic source indicated skepticism about North Korea's participation, citing ASEAN practices and the current diplomatic relationship between Malaysia and North Korea as potential reasons for the anticipated absence. Malaysia severed diplomatic ties with North Korea in 2021 following tensions that arose when Malaysia extradited a North Korean businessperson to the U.S. for money laundering charges. ASEAN typically refrains from inviting countries without diplomatic relations with its member states.
The diplomatic strain between North Korea and Malaysia dates back to the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Previously, the 2000 ARF in Bangkok witnessed a landmark meeting between then North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun and then U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Since the collapse of nuclear talks with the U.S. in 2019, North Korea has been represented at the ARF by its ambassador stationed in the ASEAN region. While North Korea appears to be distancing itself from multilateral diplomacy, it is simultaneously strengthening bilateral ties with Russia, especially following the key defense treaty signed between the two countries in June last year.
On Wednesday, North Korean state media reported that Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would visit Pyongyang from Friday to Sunday to engage in talks with North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui and possibly meet with leader Kim Jong-un. Lavrov's visit coincides with speculation about a potential visit by Kim to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin, who extended an invitation to Kim during his visit to Pyongyang in June last year.