DPRK's entry into the war against Ukraine increases instability in the world: what are the consequences?

Sending 10,000 DPRK troops to Russia to fight in the war in Ukraine is not only an alarming escalation of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. It is also an escalation between the East and the West, at least on the Korean Peninsula.

This is the opinion of analysts of the British newspaper The Observer. In their opinion, the decision of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was not spontaneous - the DPRK expects many bonuses for supporting Russia.

"Given Kim's paranoid belief that the United States, South Korea and Japan want to destroy his regime, he welcomes the opportunity to get closer to Russia," the Observer writes, adding that in exchange for troops and ammunition, the DPRK receives cheap oil, food and, probably, help with nuclear weapons.

While the DPRK's interest in a military alliance with Russia is obvious, China has no use for it. China, as North Korea's most powerful partner, is "concerned about Kim's courtship of Putin" because it fears losing influence over the DPRK.

Moreover, North Korea's participation in the Russian invasion, given that the DPRK has nuclear weapons, should lead to increased instability in the Asia-Pacific region. Accordingly, we should expect increased military and political activity of the United States and Europe in this region.

And the growth of such activity is already being noticed. The publication quotes Robert Wood, the US Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who said that if DPRK soldiers"enter Ukraine in support of Russia, they will return in body bags."

"The American anxiety is partly due to the fact that the war has not been going well for Ukraine lately. Weakened by dwindling Western military support, Kyiv lost more territory in October, mostly in eastern Donbas, than at any time since the summer of 2022," the Observer writes, but clarifies that Russia is paying for its "successes" with 1,200 military dead and wounded every day.

But if the Kremlin succeeds in involving its foreign allies in the war against Ukraine, the pressure on Kyiv's NATO partners will increase. These countries will be required to participate directly in the air and on the ground, which the partners have so far rejected, despite numerous appeals from the Ukrainian authorities.

The publication also recalls the words of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky: if Ukraine had the appropriate weapons and permission to use them deep into Russia, it would be possible to stop the deployment of the North Korean military on the Ukrainian border.

"As we said earlier, such permission should be granted. Why should Ukraine fight with its hand tied behind its back?" the Observer asks.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Zelensky has previously blamed his partners for the lack of reaction to the DPRK's participation in the war with Ukraine. According to him, Putin is testing the West's reaction to his actions, and if it is the same as during the seizure of Crimea, the aggressor will go further, increasing the North Korean contingent.

In turn, the United States has asked China to prevent North Korean soldiers from participating in the war in Ukraine. The United States wants to use China's influence on North Korea to put pressure on Pyongyang to return its military from Russia.

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