This coming week, the eyes of the world will turn to Beijing, where a grand military parade is set to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. But this isn’t just another commemorative event—it’s shaping up to be a diplomatic spectacle, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping all sharing the stage. For Kim, it’s a particularly momentous occasion: his first multilateral appearance since taking power in 2011 and his first overseas trip since the pandemic sealed North Korea’s borders.
According to NPR and other sources, Kim’s decision to attend the September 3 parade signals a deliberate shift in North Korean diplomacy. After years of isolation, Kim is stepping onto the world stage, flanked by two of his regime’s most powerful allies. Analysts, like John Delury of the Asia Society, see this as a “major mending of the fence” between China and North Korea, restoring a strategic relationship that had grown distant in recent years. Between 2018 and 2019, Kim and Xi met five times, but since then, Kim has drawn closer to Moscow—signing a mutual defense treaty with Russia and sending North Korean troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, as reported by Yonhap and NPR.
The parade itself will be a gathering of global significance. China’s Foreign Ministry lists 26 foreign leaders in attendance, including heads of state from Iran, Cuba, Belarus, Serbia, and Slovakia—the latter being the only NATO member on the guest list. But the real intrigue lies in the seating arrangement: the Kremlin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Putin will sit to Xi’s right, while Kim will be seated on Xi’s left, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. This visual tableau is likely to be interpreted as a show of unity among Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang at a time when relations between Washington and its Asian allies are deepening.
The possibility of a bilateral meeting between Putin and Kim is under discussion, the Kremlin confirmed on August 30. While nothing is set in stone, the prospect of a three-way summit with Xi, Putin, and Kim has analysts buzzing about the emergence of a new geopolitical alignment—perhaps even a “new Cold War structure,” as Doo Jin-ho of the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy put it in Kyunghyang Shinmun. North Korea’s military cooperation with Russia and economic reliance on China have become more pronounced, especially as all three countries face increasing pressure and sanctions from the West.
For Kim Jong-un, the parade is more than just a diplomatic debut. It’s a calculated move to demonstrate that North Korea is not alone—that it has powerful backers in Beijing and Moscow. A Seoul-based diplomat told the Financial Times, “This is a deliberate move to show that North Korea is not alone, and that it has powerful backers.” The symbolism is hard to miss, especially given that this will be Kim’s first trip to China since 2019 and his first known visit abroad since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
But the diplomatic choreography in Beijing is only one part of the story. In Washington, a different kind of dance is unfolding. On August 25, US President Donald Trump met with South Korea’s newly inaugurated president, Lee Jae-myung, at the White House. Lee, who took office in early June, came bearing a message: the Korean Peninsula needs peace, and he wants Trump to play a direct role in achieving it. Lee even proposed a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un later this year, possibly during a regional forum in South Korea, as reported by China Daily and The Independent.
Trump, never one to shy away from bold gestures, expressed enthusiasm for the idea. Recalling his 2019 trip to the Demilitarized Zone, Trump said, “I felt safe despite a crazy amount of rifles pointing at me, due to the close relationship between myself and Kim.” He added, “I understand him. I spend a lot of free time with him talking about things we probably aren’t supposed to talk about.” Trump described North Korea as a country with “tremendous potential” and signaled his willingness to meet Kim again, if schedules align.
The backdrop to these diplomatic moves is the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drill between the US and South Korea, which began on August 18. Pyongyang has condemned the exercises as a threat to regional security. Kim Yong-bok, first vice-chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army, warned on August 25 that continued drills would lead to “unpleasant consequences” for the US and South Korea, according to Korean Central News Agency reports cited by China Daily.
South Korean President Lee’s visit to Washington also reflects a recalibration in Seoul’s foreign policy. Lee has described himself as a pragmatic leader, seeking to repair damage from what he calls the “ideological approach” of his predecessor. He sent a special envoy to Beijing on August 24 to emphasize the importance of developing relations with China, and held a phone call with Xi Jinping after his inauguration to promote a strategic cooperative partnership, according to Xinhua. But Lee has also made it clear that South Korea can no longer rely solely on Washington for security while deepening economic ties with Beijing—a significant shift amid intensifying US-China rivalry.
China, for its part, has expressed displeasure over Lee’s remarks, signaling that the delicate balance Seoul seeks may be difficult to achieve. Meanwhile, economic ties between the US and South Korea remain strong. On August 26, Korean Air announced a $50 billion deal to purchase over 100 planes and engines from Boeing and GE Aerospace, as reported by China Daily, underscoring the enduring commercial links between the two allies.
Amid all these shifting alliances and diplomatic overtures, Kim Jong-un’s attendance at the Beijing parade stands out as a pivotal moment. His sister, Kim Yo Jong, recently stated that North Korea has no interest in resuming talks with the US, but acknowledged the “special personal relationship” between Trump and Kim, suggesting that a meeting could happen if the US changes its stance. South Korea’s national security adviser Wi Sung-lac, speaking to CBS radio, cautioned against high expectations but acknowledged that Kim’s China trip “is a development that requires close attention.”
As the world watches Beijing’s parade, the spectacle will be as much about the future as it is about the past. The gathering of Kim, Xi, and Putin is a vivid reminder that the diplomatic chessboard in Northeast Asia is being reset. Whether this marks the dawn of a new era of confrontation or the opening of fresh opportunities for dialogue remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the Korean Peninsula, and the broader region, are entering a period of heightened uncertainty—and perhaps, just perhaps, renewed possibility.