Published on November 9, 2024 at 08:32. / Modified on November 9, 2024 at 09:51.
New frontiers
Every Saturday, our journalist Frédéric Koller comments on the geopolitical news of the week. Find all his articles and columns
Should we talk about cobelligerence, an alliance, a Russian-North Korean axis against Ukraine? This week, kyiv reported the first testimonies of the engagement of North Korean troops against its army. How many are there? 8,000, 10,000 or 12,000 men, the figures differ according to American, Ukrainian or South Korean sources. But there is no longer any doubt that Pyongyang is making its elite soldiers available, in Russian uniform, to lend a hand to Moscow, including on the front line. At the same time, this conflict which had remained European until now also becomes Asian, and therefore takes a global turn. Vladimir Putin is once again playing the escalation card.
North Koreans engaged in combat? This is a first since the 1953 armistice between the two Koreas, two countries which are still technically at war, no peace agreement having been signed. This baptism of fire is a risk for Kim Jong-un. In the event of defeat or desertion, his regime would be weakened. In the opposite hypothesis, which would see the North Korean contribution offering a real advantage to the Russian offensive, this would considerably strengthen Pyongyang. Moscow’s support for North Korea’s arsenal, including its nuclear capabilities, would be all the more important in return.
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