Europe's Conflicts Now Becoming Asia's Conflicts
With North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia confirmed, the international community is focusing on South Korea's response. Analysts suggest that with North Korea, which shares a border with South Korea, dispatching troops to Russia, the war in Ukraine is no longer a conflict unrelated to South Korea.
On the 25th (local time), the British daily The Guardian published an article titled "Why is South Korea afraid of North Korea's participation in the Ukraine war?" stating, "The news of North Korea's troop deployment to Russia holds special significance for Seoul, located 7,300 km from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine," and diagnosed that "what was once a European conflict is now also an Asian conflict."
The Guardian predicted that North Korea is expected to receive cash, Russia's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology, and submarine technology transfers in exchange for deploying troops to Russia, which could strengthen North Korea's threat to South Korea. It also expressed concern that "North Korea's involvement in the Ukraine war could further escalate tensions along the already heightened (inter-Korean) border."
North Korea is reported to have currently deployed about 3,000 troops to Russia, which is at war with Ukraine. U.S. authorities estimate that the number of deployed troops could increase to up to 12,000 by the end of this year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on the 25th that North Korean troops are expected to be deployed within days to the fierce battle in Kursk, western Russia.
Foreign media are paying attention to South Korea's response because South Korea is the world's ninth-largest arms exporter. If South Korea directly supports Ukraine with weapons in response to North Korea's troop deployment, foreign media see the situation potentially escalating into a 'proxy war' between the two Koreas.
The South Korean government has long maintained a policy of not directly providing lethal weapons to countries at war. However, recently, President Yoon Suk-yeol stated regarding support for Ukraine's weapons, "Depending on North Korea's military activities, we can consider being more flexible in that regard."
Yuan Graham, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), an Australian think tank, said, "The biggest issue is whether Seoul will relax restrictions on direct military support to (Ukraine)," adding, "However, this is not a simple matter as it may require constitutional amendments depending on the case."
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