Good morning and welcome to the Daily Article podcast for Friday, September the 15th,

2023. I'm Chris Elkins with the Denison Forum, narrating today's article written by Dr. Ryan Denison.

When Kim Jong-un makes international headlines, it's rarely a good thing.

That appears to be the case once again after the North

Korean despot's recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And while no official agreements

were made when the pair conversed at Russia's Vostokny Cosmodrome, a key Russian spaceport,

all indications point to an already precarious relationship becoming even more dangerous. After all,

it was Kim Jong-un's first trip beyond his borders since 2019, and it's unlikely he would have

made the trip without assurances that it would be worth the journey. As Mary Trimble and Grace

and Logue Wright, the pair smiled for cameras, pledged eternal friendship,

and likely agreed to exchange munitions from North Korea for access to satellite and missile

technology from Russia in violation of all manner of international sanctions. Such an exchange is not

unprecedented, but it would mark a reversal of sorts as Russia

has rarely been on the receiving end of weapons in its interactions with North Korea. When you look

past their history, however, the match makes sense. Despite the rampant poverty and starvation

among its people, the U.S. State Department estimates that North Korea spends a higher

percentage of its GDP on its military, roughly 26%, than any of the other 170 nations it reviewed.

As such, North Korea has plenty of weapons and munitions to spare. And while the move may be a sign of desperation on Putin's part,

it also seems to indicate that he has little expectation of the war in Ukraine

coming to an end anytime soon.

Unfortunately, the talks with North Korea are not the only such sign in the news today.

Yuri Sipko has been a prominent and controversial figure in Russia

...