The national security advisers express grave concern over troop deployments" by North Korea in Russia, "potentially for use against Ukraine,
We are looking into reports that the number could be north of that,
I suspect that they will hope that the North Korea-Russia relationship will, as in the past, eventually sour and that the North will again turn to China, which has a much longer tradition of links,
It is worth keeping in mind that North Korea and Russia have not moved closer without China's blessing,
While Pyongyang cannot afford to alienate Beijing, this outcome suggests that North Korea feels increasingly comfortable defying China's wishes, not only by increasing its nuclear and missile provocations in the Indo-Pacific but also by fueling an armed conflict in a different theater at a time when Beijing seeks to portray itself as a potential peacemaker,
Officially, they might not really welcome it, they might see it as an alarming situation,
There is nothing good for them in this, short or long term,
Both are dependent on China and to let them do the public dirty work allows China to continue driving on two wagons simultaneously,
It is also a message demanding other countries to acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear state
On the Ukraine crisis, China's position is consistent and clear. We hope all parties will promote the deescalation of the situation and strive for a political settlement,
On the situation on the Korean Peninsula, we hope that relevant parties will face squarely the crux of the Korean Peninsula issue and play a constructive role for deescalating tensions, advancing dialogue and upholding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,
I think that the North Korea move is a big part of that, frankly,
If the North Koreans are actually sending troops to fight with the Russians, then clearly the level of Russian willingness to support North Korea, to help defend North Korea, is going to be equivalent,
They were saying things like, ‘Well, the Kremlin told us that this was going to be done in a few weeks,’ and it isn’t,
We are in contact with our North Korean friends. We’ll see how that process develops,
I think they’re very uncomfortable with it,
South Korea could assist in a psychological warfare campaign against North Korean soldiers who may not want to fight in the war" as well
There is a possibility South Korea could be shooting at Russians and/or North Koreans, and it would internationalize and widen the war further,
North Korea's involvement dramatically raises the risk of entrapment for South Korea in the war."
South Korean weapons could potentially make a significant difference on both Ukraine's defensive capabilities and offensive capabilities,