By: Shin Ju-bong
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s Involvement in the War While Blaming the U.S. : On February 24, 2022, Russian President Putin initiated the Ukraine-Russia war under the pretext of a so-called “special military operation.” Regardless of Putin’s excuses, this is a war crime of the 21st century, and Putin can never shed the disgrace of being a war criminal. But one country alone cheered and sent political and military support to the invader and war criminal, Russia, rather than the war-torn Ukraine. The Kim Jong-un regime of North Korea, a unique dictatorship that relies on war and military instability to justify its existence, welcomed it. The regime claimed that the war was caused by the United States, and thus they are intervening. After the war broke out, North Korea began actively and blatantly selling weapons to the isolated Russia, already a pariah at the UN for violating various UN sanctions. North Korea, already ostracized at the UN for its defiance of international norms, found a companion in Russia, another pariah. While the world condemns war criminal Russia and supports Ukraine, North Korea alone mocks the brave Ukrainian people fighting for their country and makes nonsensical interferences in the name of the government, drawing condemnation from UN member states. According to North Korea, the war is prolonged because of the United States, hence their support for Russia.
Covert Military Support : On October 15, 2023, the BBC reported on North Korea supplying a vast amount of military equipment to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. According to the report, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications, stated on the 13th (local time) that North Korea had supplied Russia with “equipment and munitions” equivalent to nearly 1,000 containers over the past few weeks. U.S. authorities also released photos of 300 containers assembled North Korea’s Rajin for transport. Additionally, North Korean inscriptions found on the debris of shells and missiles fired at Ukraine confirmed North Korea’s military support to Russia.
Why is North Korea Supporting War Criminal Russia? : The ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, which has resulted in countless casualties and entered its second year, has been a timely boon for North Korea, struggling with economic difficulties due to international isolation and the consequences of its dictatorship. Due to this war, North Korea has been able to find a reliable partner who can help it avoid UN sanctions, and has opened up broad prospects for earning foreign currency abroad through various means such as arms sales and labor exports.
What Kim Jong-un Gained from the Ukraine War : Before the Ukraine war, Russia formally adhered to UN Security Council Resolution 2397, adopted in 2017, by not officially accepting North Korean overseas workers. However, after the Ukraine war began and North Korea expressed support for it, Russia is now flagrantly ignoring UN sanctions and allowing North Korean workers to enter the country en masse. According to a local source in Khabarovsk on June 8, hundreds of North Korean workers are currently entering Russia by ship through the port of Vladivostok. In the end, the Ukraine-Russia war served as an opportunity for Kim Jong-un to promise political, economic, and military cooperation with Russia.
Why does North Korea blame the United States for the war between Russia and Ukraine? : The existence of the United States plays a decisive role in maintaining the legitimacy of the Kim family’s dictatorship in North Korea. Whether the U.S. actually poses a threat to North Korea is irrelevant. The mere existence of the U.S. is a godsend for the Kim family dictatorship. Blaming the United States for the Ukraine-Russia war also serves to convince their own people. The Kim family’s “blame America” style of governance has a long tradition. The ideology of hatred toward America is like a spell that protects Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship. Since the time of Kim Jong-un’s grandfather, Kim II-sung, the Kim family has incessantly brainwashed North Korean residents with ideas such as “North Koreans are impoverished because of America,” “The Korean Peninsula is divided because of America, and “North Korea and its residents cannot survive without military power, nuclear weapons and missiles because America and South Korea are constantly plotting military invasions against North Korea.” Whether it was Kim II-sung or Kim Jong-il, the Kim family spared no expense or effort to instill hatred for America in the residents.
A War Criminal’s Grandson Befriends Another War Criminal : Today, Kim Jong-un continues his grandfather’s tradition of committing war crimes. The saying “history repeats itself” holds true as Kim Il-sung’s legacy of war crimes is being repeated by his grandson Kim Jong-un. By supporting the invader, Russia, and supplying them with missiles and shells, Kim Jong-un, who supports the aggressor Russian army, will undoubtedly face a reckoning for his war crimes before the suffering and dying people of Ukraine.
