Have you heard the news about North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine? It's on the news so you can go check it out.
The idea of North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine is surreal, but here we are. My first reaction was, how much more convoluted can this war become? 1,500 North Koreans being trained to fight another nation’s war is a disaster waiting to happen. Not because the North Koreans will turn the tide of the war single-handedly, but because it represents a deepening of ties that shouldn’t be occurring in 2024.
If Russia which is already overstretched needs to rely on North Korean boots on the ground, things must be pretty dire. Is Russia really that desperate? Or is this some kind of geopolitical chess between Kim Jong Un and Putin that none of us understands yet? In any event, it’s stupidly dangerous to have Kim Jong Un’s oppressive regime get involved in what should’ve been resolved diplomatically long ago.
But beyond the politics, it’s about the people. Ukrainian civilians have been suffering for years now, and this involvement throws a wrench into any hope of things calming down soon. What’s next? More sanctions that’ll hurt ordinary citizens on both sides? More troop deployments, more escalations?