South Korea Seeks Dialogue with North Korea Through Russia

South Korea is seeking a channel for dialogue with North Korea through Russia, and the head of an organization linked to South Korea’s intelligence has already visited Moscow.

The Korea JoongAng Daily reported this on October 13, citing several sources in intelligence circles.

According to the sources, the visit took place in the first half of 2026. A former senior official of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, close to its current director, led the delegation. He now heads a civilian organization affiliated with the intelligence agency.

Representatives of the organization’s leadership and a Russia expert also traveled to Moscow. The publication did not disclose the participants’ names, their Russian counterparts, or the visit’s specific outcomes.

The newspaper links these contacts to Seoul’s efforts to establish dialogue with Pyongyang through intermediaries. Direct inter-Korean dialogue is effectively stalled, while North Korea’s leadership continues to pursue a policy of treating relations with Seoul as those between “two hostile states.”

Under these circumstances, South Korean officials are considering establishing contacts through China and Russia.

Experts interviewed by the publication warn that closer ties with Moscow amid its war against Ukraine could raise concerns in Washington. The publication notes that it remains unclear whether the US administration has raised any concerns specifically over this visit. The intelligence service denied separate rumors that the NIS director himself had met with Russian representatives in a third country.

Officially, Seoul has declared its intention to resume dialogue. In its August 5, 2026 action plan, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification outlined steps to reduce military tensions, resume inter-Korean exchanges, and facilitate a US–North Korea summit.

The ministry also announced its intention to move beyond the “hostile states” concept and promote peaceful coexistence.

Meanwhile, contacts with Russia remain politically sensitive. South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young even considered his ministry’s participation in the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok an opportunity to help resume dialogue with North Korea. However, the ministry later announced it would not attend.

These diplomatic efforts come against the backdrop of continued military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. According to a Reuters report dated August 24, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense estimated that North Korea had supplied Russia with more than 15 million artillery rounds, measured in 152 mm shell equivalents. The ministry also reported that North Korea was preparing to deploy additional troops, but at the time saw no signs that such a deployment was imminent.

Militarnyi previously reported that on September 7, Russia and North Korea opened a road bridge across the Tumen River, along with the Khasan border crossing. The new connection provides an additional route for transporting cargo between the two countries, including military equipment and ammunition.