North Korea has sent approximately 10,000 troops to assist Russia in its fight against Ukraine. Associate Professor Cheehyung Harrison Kim from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of History is an expert in East Asia, particularly North Korea. He shared his thoughts on the implications of North Korea’s decision to send troops into the Russia-Ukraine War.
What is your reaction to North Korea’s decision?
I was, of course, very alarmed and my instant reaction was, wow, the deterioration of diplomacy that’s been happening the past two years has really culminated at this point where the tension and the conflict in East Asia has escalated to a new level.
Why would Russia tap into North Korea’s military? And why would North Korea support Russia? Could it be that North Korea is also gaining military intelligence from Russia?
Last September, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin met in Russia and that’s when they began talking about military cooperation in exchange for technical and scientific assistance, especially with rocket launches. Then this June, they met again, and that’s when they kind of put everything down on paper. In the long run, North Korea has actually a lot to gain. Being part of the Russia and also China alliance, being part of this Eastern European, northern Central Asian alliance could provide them with energy and new trade market routes. This is also a sign of clearly withdrawing from the South Korea, Japan and U.S. frontier that North Korea tried to be part of.
What military capabilities or specializations would North Korean troops potentially bring to this conflict?
One thing that was very alarming to me and somewhat terrifying is that this means that this war will go on for an unforeseen time. I can see this war lasting a few more years. The North Korean troops being there, it’s not really about numbers. But it is a huge boost in morale which this war, especially the Russian forces, definitely need. It is also a sign of solidarity, not to mention that North Korea has been providing Russia with ammunition and small rockets for a couple of years now. This is not just a material assistance but also a psychological and moral boosting kind of event as well.
On October 31, North Korea fired its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test and claims it was a success. What are the ramifications of this?
This missile is designed to deliver nuclear warheads a very long distance, even to the U.S. continent. This technology is also part of the deal that North Korea made with Russia, so in exchange for providing support for the war, Russia would provide rocket technology to North Korea. This all seems very fast, but this is all part of the same context. The rocket firing the latest one is also another sign that we are seeing a major turning point in the geopolitics of East Asia where North Korea is no longer even trying to work with South Korea or the U.S. North Korea also destroyed the road that goes to South Korea across the border.
How might this impact the broader geopolitical dynamics in East Asia, particularly regarding South Korea?
The broader context of North Korea sending its troops and heightening its nuclear weapons program is a kind of geopolitical moment when these two countries North and South are really moving away from each other and away from unification. Until recently, the two countries did not see each other as official separate states.
What potential diplomatic or economic consequences could North Korea face from the international community?
We could expect more isolation, more heightened rhetoric of conflict and tension coming from South Korea. South Korea is already saying that it is committed to providing Ukraine with weapons now. Thinking about all this also reminded me about when the U.S. asked South Korea to send its troops to Vietnam. The largest number of troops after the U.S. in Vietnam was from South Korea—300,000 troops. The two countries are always kind of engaged in this possibility of a proxy war, always under pressure to join military conflicts that other countries are waging and now being forced to be part of for economics, survival, technology and more.
How might this affect the U.S. military’s posture and commitments in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific?
My big fear is that, with North Koreans being there, who knows? This could prompt other countries on the Ukrainian side to join the war, and this could mean a very prolonged, escalated and more devastating type of war. With the North Korean troops being there, this could be also a moment for the U.S. to really think about stopping the war on a more direct level through diplomacy. U.S. President Biden has talked about this need to stop the war, at least a cease fire before the war gets out of control.
