International tensions seem to be spiking yet again after reports of the deployment of North Korean troops to aid in Russian war efforts.
According to Reuters, 1500 North Korean special forces troops have already been deployed to Ukraine, according to a report from the South Korean National Intelligence Service, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleging North Korea of intending to deploy 10,000 soldiers.
The supposed deployment of North Korean troops to aid Russia lines up with previous actions taken by the Russian government to bolster their dwindling numbers, such as the enlistment of convicts, as International Insight has previously examined.
In addition, these claims come over four months after the signing of a mutual assistance pact between Russia and North Korea, requiring each country to come to the other’s aid when they are facing military aggression.
Countless previous reports have also found the usage of North Korean missiles by Russian troops since December of last year with the passage of this pact suggesting that such military aid will presumably continue, adding to the engineers, advisors, and technical experts that North Korea has supposedly provided Russia to facilitate the use of North Korean missiles.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s stance on the issue centers around its claim that North Korean troop movement violates the terms of several UN actions, emphasizing how such action endangers the East Asian nation and ultimately causing the nation to summon the Russian ambassador.
In addition, the alleged actions of North Korea have motivated the South Korean government to consider implementing what they refer to as “countermeasures”, according to Al Jazeera, such as sending various forms of aid to Ukraine.
The United States and Japan have also joined South Korea in denouncing the actions of the North Korean government, although some anonymous United States officials have admitted that there are few actions the government can take to inhibit North Korean aid to Russia, given the sheer amount of sanctions already levied on the nation and the almost nonexistent dialogue between the two countries.
Reports of deployment of North Korean troops to Russia could possibly lead to the exacerbation of worsening tensions between North Korea and South Korea, which were only aggravated by North Korea’s explosive destruction of roads on its side of the Korean DMZ last week and the responding shots fired by South Korea.
These reports may also serve to exacerbate international tensions surrounding the war in Ukraine, with North Korea solidifying its support for Russia and joining China and several South African nations, including South Africa itself, in their support for the expansive nation, while the United States, Germany, Switzerland, and countless other European nations throw their weight behind Ukraine, sending the nation billions of dollars in aid.
As the Ukraine-Russia conflict unfolded over the past almost 20 months, it’s alarming how fast tensions have risen and international relations have worsened globally.
But with the two year mark of the conflict fast approaching in just four months, it is just as crucial, as a globe, to make an effort to mitigate these tensions and work towards a lasting peace both between Russia and Ukraine and the 195 countries that, intentionally or unintentionally, play a key role in shaping geopolitics as we know it today.
