North Korea Joins Russia in the War Against Ukraine

This past October, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) confirmed the fact that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), also known as North Korea, sent approximately 10,000 of their troops to Russia for training, likely to enter the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia within the coming weeks. The Pentagon confirmed that some North Korean troops have already advanced towards the Kursk border, which is a Ukrainian-occupied Russian region locked in a stalemate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that there has already been conflict between Ukrainian forces and the Russian-North Korean forces, which has resulted in soldier casualties. South Korea has also confirmed similar news. However, Russia has yet to confirm any such news. 

This news is historic as this is the first time that the DPRK has launched a foreign military intervention. Many news sources and DPRK investigators believe that the country’s apprehension to send troops abroad is due to the concern that the troops will pick up foreign ideas and beliefs that contradict the DPRK’s social and political philosophy. This fear has proven to be sensible and grounded as a military coup attempted to take control of the country in 1992, led by DPRK military officers that had been educated in Russia.

The division of soldiers sent to the border is around 50,000 strong, including the North Korean soldiers. Russia did not have to pull any soldiers away from the Eastern front, which is where the main war has been occuring. In June of 2024, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jung Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a mutual defense deal between the two countries, promising military aid from the other if one of them is attacked. Putin recently ratified the agreement, bringing it into action. Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui visited Russia on November 4 to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. During this meeting, Son Hui stated that North Korea’s support was ensured “for the just fight of Russia’s military and people to defend their country’s sovereign rights and security interests” in Ukraine.

Historically, the DPRK and Russia have strong ties to one another. The Soviet Union was the main supporter of the communist Northern forces during the Korean war, aiding against the American-backed Southern forces of Korea. In 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed by the forces involved, splitting the Korean peninsula into two separate nations known as North Korea and South Korea. However, this agreement was  only meant to be a temporary ceasefire until official peace agreements could be made. Therefore, North and South Korea are technically still at war with one another, a sentiment heavily rooted in DPRK ideology.

After the technical end of the war, the Soviet Union heavily invested resources and commerce into the DPRK, turning it into a relatively prosperous country in its early years. Meanwhile, the South took a long time to recover from the war, eventually creating a strong capitalist system modeled after and with the help of the United States. When the Soviet Union fell in 1991, it lost much of its power and suffered a severe economic depression, which meant that much of the cheap and free resources sent to North Korea could no longer be provided. This resulted in a severe depression to occur in North Korea, causing the infamous famine in which many died, the estimated number ranging from 225,000 North Koreans to over three million, depending on the source. However, since Russia’s rise back to power, North Korea has remained a relatively close ally with them as well as China. 

This news has been causing much concern for the international community, especially South Korea. The country fears the possibility of Russia providing military aid to be used against South Korea. Until recently, the hope for reunification of the Korean peninsula had been a cornerstone of North Korean ideology. However, in January of 2024, Kim Jung Un asserted that he views the nations as two separate entities, unable to reunite peacefully. He did not speak on the possibility of gaining Southern territory through conflict, though. 

South Korea has hinted at providing military support to Ukraine, having only provided humanitarian aid in the past. Many theories concerning the implications of these alliances have emerged, such as the possibility that Ukraine can provide North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea from which they can gain information. 

Russia is open to considering any proposals made by President Donald Trump, according to Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov. Ryabkov also stated that Moscow and Washington D.C. have been exchanging messages concerning Ukraine and the war. The Trump Administration has also stated that they have been in discussion with President Zelenskyy. Trump and Zelenskyy also met each other in person in New York City in September of 2024. To prepare for his second term, Donald Trump met with Former President Biden on November 13 to discuss the situation in Ukraine as well as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Many nation leaders and international organizations have called for a ceasefire, which would allow for Russia to officially own the Ukrainian territory that it currently holds, which is close to twenty percent of pre-war Ukraine. Other groups have decided to stay relatively neutral, such as the United Nations, which has vocalized support for Ukraine and provided humanitarian aid. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has acted similarly, but they have not provided any resources to aid combat because of Russia’s nuclear arms collection. 

Hope College Assistant Professor of Sociology and Director of the Peace and Justice Minor Department Dr. Roger Baumann offered to share his perspective with the Hope community. He agreed that the “financial cost of the war to American taxpayers is important” but he stated that, “from a peace and justice perspective, [he’d] suggest that the human cost of the war deserves much more attention.” Dr. Baumann pointed out that the reality of the war is that “in nearly three years, relatively little territory has actually changed hands, but the overall number of casualties is likely nearly one million and the number of civilian casualties (in the tens of thousands) represents a level not experienced in Europe since World War II.” He also mentioned the looming threat of nuclear war, which has become even more prevalent with the news of North Korea allying itself with Russia. Dr. Baumann summarized his thoughts with the belief that “from a humanitarian perspective, there are no winners” and that “a diplomatic solution is urgently needed to stem the tide of death and destruction that is already certain to affect the region for generations to come.”

(Featured image source: Asian Pacific)