PRESS CONFERENCE
North Korea's Power Play: First Russia, Now China, What’s Next?
Jenny Town, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and the Director of "38 North"
11:00-12:00 Friday, September 26, 2025
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English.
Kim Jong Un's visit to Beijing to observe China's September 3 Victory Day military parade was a resounding diplomatic success for the North Korean leader. Despite being his first time participating in a multilateral event, Kim looked confident and comfortable and was held up as a strategic partner to China and Russia. This comes after a string of North Korean summits and high-level exchanges with Russia in recent years but quieter and more limited interactions with China, leading many to characterize the latter relationship as rocky or strained. But why now and what comes next?
Questions loom as to whether this engagement signals larger shifts in China-North Korea relations and how this might impact Russia-North Korea, US-North Korea, or inter-Korean relations in the near to mid-term future. Jenny Town, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and Director of "38 North," will discuss these developments, along with North Korea's efforts to highlight its achievements as it closes out its current five-year plan.
How to attend:
Please register by emailing front@fccj.or.jp with your name and the name of your media outlet. FCCJ members should also include their membership number. Doors will open 15 minutes before the event.
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TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.
Professional Activities Committee