Tensions rise as North Korea critiques China's border broadcast plans

North Korea expressed opposition to and criticism of Chinese plans to install broadcasting equipment near the border, the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Sunday. It noted that relations between the two countries, both allies of Russia, do not seem "normal."

After the Russian offensive in Ukraine encountered serious problems, the Kremlin sought to strengthen cooperation with China and North Korea. Beijing is, to some extent, replacing Western suppliers for Russians, who abandoned the Russian market due to sanctions, and Pyongyang (unofficially) supports Vladimir Putin with supplies of military equipment.

While one can speak of revitalising Russia's relations with North Korea and China, similar phenomena between Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping regimes are not occurring, according to media reports.

The conflict reported by the Kyodo agency on Sunday emerged when the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva disclosed information in June about China's plans to build 191 telecom stations, including at least 17 near the North Korean border, for broadcasting FM signals, among other purposes.

In an email message, the authorities in Pyongyang emphasised that Beijing "never requested prior consultation" regarding the installations, Kyodo writes, assessing that "this is a sign that two countries long known for close economic ties may currently have a problem with bilateral communication."

The South Korean regime also stated that building transmitters without prior agreement "would constitute a violation of ITU guidelines and a bilateral agreement signed in 1981," the details of which are unknown. Additionally, stations in Dandong, a border city in northeastern China, could cause "serious interference."

Atsuhito Isozaki, an expert on North Korean politics, told the Japanese agency that "this is a rare case of revealing a conflict between China and North Korea," adding that possible signs of deteriorating relations can also be observed in the government journal "Rodong Sinmun".

Isozaki noted that for months there has been no mention of Chinese leader Xi Jinping or the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations, adding that the current state of relations does not appear "normal."

In July, the South Korean unification ministry also reported that North Korea "moved the transmission of state TV signals from a Chinese satellite to a Russian one."

Kyodo recalls that Pyongyang has sought to strengthen ties with Russia since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, especially in the defense sector. Among other things, Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership treaty in June, "which, according to diplomatic sources in Beijing, did not please China."

The regime of Kim Jong Un, according to South Korean authorities, has supplied Moscow with at least 10,000 containers of armaments, including up to 4.8 million artillery shells similar to those Putin used during the bombing of Ukraine.