India has recently taken a significant diplomatic step by reopening its embassy in Pyongyang after a three-year hiatus. This move, occurring in the context of North Korea’s growing military capabilities and its strengthening alliances with Russia, China and Iran, underscores India’s evolving foreign policy priorities.
It also aligns with India’s “Act East” policy and reflects its broader strategic interests in Northeast Asia and beyond. Furthermore, the decision has implications for India’s positioning within BRICS and its growing influence in global geopolitics.
India’s relationship with North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has been shaped by a complex mix of historical, ideological and geopolitical factors. During the Cold War, India maintained diplomatic ties with both North and South Korea, reflecting its non-aligned stance. While the relationship with North Korea was never particularly close, India has provided humanitarian aid to Pyongyang over the years and engaged in limited trade, primarily in the form of food and medical supplies.
Relations, however, have been strained at times due to North Korea’s nuclear proliferation activities. India has consistently condemned North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches, aligning itself with international efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Despite these challenges, India has maintained a degree of engagement, recognizing the strategic importance of dialogue and diplomacy in fostering stability in the region.
The decision to reopen the Indian embassy in Pyongyang comes at a critical juncture in global geopolitics. Several new factors appear to have influenced this Indian move. India’s “Act East” policy emphasizes strengthening ties with East and Southeast Asian nations to enhance economic and strategic cooperation. While North Korea is not a traditional partner in this framework, engaging with Pyongyang allows India to play a more active role in regional affairs. This engagement also demonstrates India’s commitment to fostering stability in the Korean Peninsula, a key region in Asia.
North Korea’s advances in missile technology and nuclear capabilities pose significant challenges to regional and global security. By maintaining a diplomatic presence in Pyongyang, India can gain valuable insights into North Korea’s military developments and its growing defense collaboration with nations including Russia, China, and Iran. This information is crucial for India’s strategic planning, particularly in mitigating the risk that sensitive technology will reach its adversarial states.
North Korea’s close ties with Russia and China — two key players in BRICS — provide an additional strategic incentive for India to engage with Pyongyang. By fostering relations with North Korea, India can strengthen its position within BRICS, leveraging this connection to counterbalance Western influence and assert its role as a mediator in global conflicts. This engagement aligns with BRICS’ broader objectives of promoting multipolarity and fostering development in the Global South.
Implications for India’s regional and global strategy
India has long been concerned about North Korea’s close ties with adversarial states, particularly those that pose strategic challenges to India’s national security. By maintaining a diplomatic presence in Pyongyang, India can better communicate its positions on critical issues directly to the North Korean leadership.
This presence facilitates opportunities to engage in dialogue, offering a platform to clarify India’s stance on matters of mutual interest and concern. Establishing such channels of communication is instrumental in fostering a deeper understanding of India’s security priorities within North Korea’s political framework.
Moreover, this engagement provides India with a unique opportunity to build personal rapport with North Korean leaders, which is crucial for cultivating trust and mutual respect. Such relationships can serve as a valuable deterrent, reducing the likelihood that North Korea will transfer weapons or sensitive technology to India’s adversaries.
This strategic outreach aligns seamlessly with India’s broader commitment to non-proliferation, reinforcing its efforts to curb the spread of nuclear and missile technology while advancing its aspirations for a leadership role in global arms control initiatives. By embedding itself within North Korea’s diplomatic landscape, India positions itself to play a more active role in promoting stability and security in the region and beyond.
Engaging with North Korea provides India with an opportunity to enhance its strategic leverage in interactions with other major powers and key regional players. By fostering dialogue with Pyongyang, India not only positions itself as a responsible and proactive global actor but also gains a multifaceted tool to complement its partnerships with South Korea and Japan, both of which are critical allies in the Indo-Pacific.
India’s engagement with North Korea could serve as a demonstration of its ability to act as a stabilizing and balancing force in the region, fostering peace and mitigating tensions. This approach aligns with India’s broader foreign policy objective of promoting a multipolar world order. Such engagement would also showcase India’s diplomatic flexibility and its capacity to navigate complex geopolitical landscapes by maintaining communication with nations across the spectrum, including those considered isolated or adversarial by others.
Moreover, India’s outreach to Pyongyang could help it establish a unique role in bridging the divergent interests of regional stakeholders. For instance, while South Korea and Japan prioritize denuclearization and security, China’s relationship with North Korea centers on maintaining stability and strategic depth. India, by maintaining a balanced dialogue with Pyongyang, could subtly influence the convergence of these interests, fostering a more cooperative environment in the region.
From an economic perspective, engaging North Korea could also open avenues for low-scale economic interactions, technical cooperation or cultural exchanges, further building India’s soft power. These efforts would need to be carefully calibrated to ensure they do not violate international sanctions but could still yield long-term strategic dividends.
India’s constructive engagement with North Korea could enhance its diplomatic toolkit, reinforce its standing as a stabilizing power, and underscore its commitment to regional peace and development, all while complementing and strengthening its strategic partnerships with South Korea, Japan and other Indo-Pacific players.
Moreover, India’s unique position of having good relations with both North and South Korea allows it to play a pivotal role in peacebuilding efforts on the Korean Peninsula. With the possibility of renewed peace talks under a future US administration, such as a second Trump presidency, India could act as a neutral mediator, leveraging its diplomatic ties to foster dialogue and confidence-building measures between the two Koreas.
Although North Korea’s economy remains isolated and heavily sanctioned, there is potential for limited economic and humanitarian cooperation. India’s experience in providing humanitarian aid and its expertise in agriculture and healthcare could serve as avenues for constructive engagement. Such initiatives could also help build goodwill and trust between the two nations.
Challenges and new opportunities
North Korea presents both significant challenges and unique opportunities for India’s diplomatic outreach. While engagement with Pyongyang can enhance India’s strategic leverage, it must be approached with caution and precision to navigate the complexities of the international and regional landscape.
North Korea remains under stringent international sanctions due to its nuclear weapons program. Any engagement by India must adhere strictly to these restrictions to avoid potential repercussions from the global community, particularly the United States and other major powers. India’s actions will need to align with its commitments to upholding international law and ensuring non-proliferation.
North Korea’s secretive governance structure poses significant risks to sustained diplomatic engagement. India will need to exercise caution to ensure that its outreach does not inadvertently contradict its strategic objectives or lead to unintended consequences.
India’s growing partnership with South Korea is a cornerstone of its “Act East” policy and an essential component of its broader Indo-Pacific strategy. South Korea remains deeply concerned about Pyongyang’s actions, particularly its nuclear ambitions and military provocations. India’s engagement with North Korea must be carefully calibrated to avoid straining its strong and growing ties with Seoul.
As the world’s largest democracy, India has a firm commitment to democratic values and institutions. This foundation limits the extent to which India can engage with North Korea, a regime with a vastly different political system, without compromising its democratic principles or its partnerships with other leading democracies such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Israel.
India can leverage its historical non-aligned stance and diplomatic credibility to promote dialogue and peace on the Korean Peninsula. By engaging with both North and South Korea, India can contribute to confidence-building measures and support efforts toward denuclearization.
With strong relations with both Koreas, China, and Russia, India is uniquely positioned to build long-term strategic partnerships in Northeast Asia. This engagement aligns with India’s goal of becoming a key player in regional and global affairs, contributing to a more stable and secure Asia.
The decision to reopen its embassy in Pyongyang signifies a calculated shift in India’s foreign policy priorities. By engaging with North Korea, India aims to enhance its regional influence, address proliferation concerns, and navigate the complex dynamics of major power relations. This diplomatic outreach further bolsters India’s position within BRICS, given North Korea’s strategic alignment with Russia and China, highlighting the importance of proactive engagement with Pyongyang.
Amid significant political transformations in South Korea, India’s renewed diplomatic efforts are poised to safeguard its interests on the Korean Peninsula and expand its influence in the broader regional landscape.
Kinda hypocrite of India to condemn North Korea for pursuing nuclear weapon when India itself ignored international concern when India pursued nuclear weapon development.