North Korea recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers’ Party, rolling out the red carpet for high-ranking political figures from its allies such as China and Russia who were invited to the event.
The leaders of Southeast Asian countries Vietnam and Laos were among the foreign dignitaries attending the massive parade, which included thousands of troops showcasing Pyongyang’s extensive arsenal of weapons.
The visit by To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, is the first time in 18 years that a Vietnamese leader has visited North Korea.
As general secretary of her party, Lam holds the equivalent position in the North Korean Workers’ Party to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Diplomatic victory for North Korea?
North Korean state media outlet KCNA later reported that Pyongyang and Hanoi had agreed to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in the areas of defense and health care.
Mark S., associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. Kogan said Lam’s visit was a diplomatic victory for North Korea under heavy sanctions.
“It was a sign of legitimacy, because it was the first time in almost two decades that a high-ranking Vietnamese official was on North Korean soil,” he told DW.
Kogan said, “The visit is beneficial for both sides, as they provide services to each other in a difficult environment. Vietnam has been a corridor for illicit goods from North Korea into the region, bypassing heavy Western sanctions on the regime.”
Same political ideology, different economic systems
North Korea and Vietnam are also celebrating the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2025.
Both countries are nominally communist and have similar ideologies on how to rule their populations. However, they differ in their economic outlook, said Edward Howell, a political scientist and lecturer at the University of Oxford.
Howell, who is also a Korea Foundation Fellow at the think tank Chatham House, said, “Vietnam and North Korea are not the same. Vietnam’s ideologically communist but economically capitalist system is something Kim Jong Un does not want to emulate.”
He underlined, “The fact that North Korea and Vietnam have pledged stronger cooperation in defense, health care and aviation highlights that, at least on the surface, Pyongyang wants to find another source of material goods.”
While Pyongyang is still heavily dependent on Beijing, China has been the North’s top trading partner for more than two decades, accounting for about 98% of North Korea’s official total trade in 2023. According to a report by the Council on Foreign Relations,
For Hanoi, strengthening cooperation with Pyongyang could be a way to develop economic ties with the North, especially in the agriculture and culture sectors, Howell said.
But with North Korea being one of the poorest and most reclusive states in the world, its small and centrally planned economy offers limited opportunities for business.
South Korea’s central bank has estimated the North’s economy to be worth just $24.5 billion (€22.8 billion) in 2022, relying heavily on a few sectors such as mining, agriculture and its vast defense apparatus.
The defense sector is one of the largest employers in the highly centralized authoritarian state, with an estimated 2 million employees out of a population of 26 million.
Originally a supplier only to its military, North Korea has found some major foreign customers for its arms and ammunition – mostly in former Soviet countries or sub-Saharan Africa.
Deepening relations with Laos
Vietnam’s neighbor Laos was also represented at the Workers’ Party’s 80th anniversary celebrations in Pyongyang, with Laotian President and Secretary-General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Thongloun Sisoulith also attending the festivities.
Pyongyang and Vientiane also agreed to deepen their partnership, North Korean state media reported. The two countries have maintained strong diplomatic relations for five decades, but bilateral trade is negligible.
Still, Laos helps the North in a way other countries won’t, Howell said.
“The strength of ties between Pyongyang and Vientiane highlights how North Korea has another country willing to help it evade international sanctions,” he underlined.
Laos reportedly allows North Korean IT and construction workers to be employed in the country despite international sanctions. The wages earned by these workers generate foreign revenue for the North Korean regime which is reportedly used to support Pyongyang’s military programs.
Ideal partner for Pyongyang?
Shreyas Reddy, chief correspondent of NK News, a Seoul-based news website that focuses on North Korean affairs, said Southeast Asia is useful to North Korea because of the region’s neutrality in global affairs, adding that most countries in the region hope for balanced relations with opposition powers such as the US, China and Russia.
“If Pyongyang wants to expand its diplomatic reach, it could hardly ask for a better partner than Southeast Asian countries,” he told DW.
But Reddy pointed out that any country that gets close to North Korea runs a greater risk of being seen as a partner by helping Pyongyang avoid sanctions.
“If cooperation with Southeast Asian countries is to be increased [North Korea]Particularly on trade, they have to be very careful to comply with sanctions,” he said. “Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand will be more careful about doing anything with North Korea that could damage their international reputations.”
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru