Reports have surfaced within the Western world of a North Korean presence in Ukraine, potentially signifying a potential indicator for Moscow and Kyiv. The North Korean presence is unexpected, given that their military is often perceived as using outdated technology in modern conflicts. North Korean troops continue to utilize rudimentary and out-of-date Soviet-era technology, which has proved insufficient in contemporary conflicts. North Korea is a vastly inferior military power compared to Russia and Ukraine in terms of number, technology, and weapons, making the presence of a North Korean force in Russia completely befuddling as the world generally does not consider North Korea capable of participating in an international conflict, especially to that of the scale of Ukraine. However, this indicates a deeper alignment between Moscow and Pyongyang, which cements North Korea as a permanent ally as Moscow works to utilize a North Korean force in its war.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Pyongyang earlier this year. They established a historic and monumental mutual defense treaty that set a new precedent for North Korean and Russian relations after decades of increased North Korean isolation from Russia in the post-Soviet era. This increase in Russo-North Korean diplomacy signifies that the Russian war effort is lacking compared to pre-Ukrainian levels. Putin is seeking any support to try to lessen his losses. This is seen with Russia purchasing Soviet-era artillery rounds from North Korea earlier this year, signifying the fact that Russia potentially does not even have the military industry to replace the amount of resources they are using, spelling disaster for the Russian war effort in Ukraine. The presence of North Korean troops could potentially indicate an additional need for manpower within Russia, with Putin attempting to scrape out of his manpower hole and potentially attempting to delay a total mobilization for as long as possible, as a total mobilization is vastly unpopular within Russia, which could harm domestic political stability and unity.
At this time, the North Korean foreign minister is reportedly in Moscow for talks with the Kremlin, which have yet to result in any formal treaty or declaration of war; however, as this is a developing situation, this could change at any moment. Additionally, at this time, U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to strike North Korean targets that cross Ukrainian borders, demonstrating U.S. support is unwavering for the Ukrainian war effort despite this revelation. Notably, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated after talks with South Korea on Tuesday, October 29th, that “This war is becoming internationalized, extending beyond two countries,” this potentially spells a new front, whether economically, politically, or militarily could open. The world closely watches the potential repercussions of this escalation on Korea, Ukraine, and the international community.
