Kim Jong Un strengthens Putin with troops and weaponry
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reinforced Vladimir Putin's forces fighting in the Ukraine conflict with the addition of 11,000 soldiers. However, this is just one of several figures mentioned by "The New York Times" regarding the support Pyongyang is offering to Moscow in the ongoing invasion since February 2022.
18 December 2024 07:22
The American newspaper reported that Kim Jong Un provided Russia with 11,000 soldiers, yet perhaps more significantly from Moscow's viewpoint are the "massive weapon supplies." This includes approximately 20,000 containers sent from North Korea to Russia, holding items such as artillery shells, ballistic missiles, and rocket systems.
"The New York Times" highlights that the dictator from Pyongyang is, of course, not acting with pure altruism. It is estimated that North Korea earned up to £4.5 billion from arms deals, as well as £470 million from military support. These amounts are of substantial importance to the isolated economy.
Furthermore, in return for assistance, North Korea can also anticipate deliveries worth billions of pounds in oil, food, and technologies that enable Kim Jong Un to modernize the military, which Western sanctions hinder.
Strategic partnership of two dictators
In mid-November 2024, Kim Jong Un signed a decree ratifying a strategic partnership treaty with Russia. It commits both parties to mutual military assistance. The Russian State Duma and the Federation Council had previously approved the law ratifying this agreement, and Putin's signature formalised it.
The treaty between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Russian Federation provides for a commitment to mutual military assistance in the event of threats to their sovereignty.
One of the agreement's crucial elements is support in military conflict situations. This declaration means that in the event of a military attack on one of these nations, the other is committed to active support, which could influence the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, tensions are rising on the Korean Peninsula. In January this year, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un called in a speech before the National Assembly for the "physical severance" from South Korea.
He also ordered the constitutional recognition of South Korea as an "enemy state" and the removal from the constitution of terms such as "peaceful reunification."
Following these directives, the "eye-catching" Unification Monument in Pyongyang and three agencies promoting inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation were abolished. In October, sections of the roads connecting the Korean states were destroyed.
