Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine will be forced to fight against North Korean troops should they enter the conflict.
In an evening address posted on Telegram, Zelenskyy said North Korean forces could appear on the battlefield “any day now.”
“Ukraine will be forced to actually fight against North Korea in Europe,” he said, adding: “These are the conditions when the lack of partners’ stronger decisions in support of Ukraine only encourages Putin to invest further in terror.”
Zelenskyy also called on Western allies to ramp up pressure on Russia, saying he expected more support.
Doesn’t South Korea have a pretty big stake in this? Not like “stop guarding their border” stake, but “holy shit guys we have a way to really make them eat dirt.”
It’s all messy politics since the Ukrainian ambassador to Japan visited Yasukuni shrine (the one that’s infamous for honoring WW2 war criminals) which made a huge controversy in South Korean media. There’s still public support for Ukrainians plight, but also jaded cynicism since they see SK being diplomatically pressured into supporting Ukraine (which means risking more tensions with NK and China) while governments in Western Europe and US are taking their time.
They’re working on bypassing their law that prevents them from selling arms to countries at war because of this.
Not really since Korean politics has made the entire Seoul area a de facto hostage for peace. Estimates place the death toll for Seoul alone at about 100,000 in the first 48 if hostilities between the North and South broke out due to the volume of artillery currently pointed at the city.