00:00Glenn Howard, president of the Saratoga Foundation, argues in a column for The Washington Post that Korea's involvement
00:07The conflict between the North and Russia in the war against Ukraine has reached an unprecedented scale, blurring the border between the
00:15European and Asian security.
00:17According to Howard, Pyongyang sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia's Kursk region in 2024 to help
00:25to repel a Ukrainian offensive, and President Volodymyr Zelensky himself warned that Kim Jong-un plans to send up to 40,000
00:33additional personnel.
00:34Ukrainian intelligence sources cited by the author estimate that more than 25,000 North Korean soldiers have rotated through Kursk.
00:42from 2024, which, in his words, turns the conflict into
00:46a high-tech combat laboratory that gives North Korea invaluable experience in combined arms warfare
00:54modern.
00:55The article also describes how the transfer of Russian technology is modernizing North Korea's defense industry, improving accuracy
01:04of its KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles and advancing in air defense, nuclear submarines and satellite capabilities,
01:14and how specialized North Korean units, drone operators and missile systems operators, have been deployed near the border
01:22Ukrainian to attack cities like Sumy and Kharkov.
01:26Howard warns that Pyongyang could replicate that tactical experience on the Korean peninsula, pointing to the geographical similarities between Seoul and
01:35Kharkiv because of its proximity to a sensitive border line.
01:38The text also details North Korea's industrial contribution to the Russian war effort, up to 15 million artillery shells supplied,
01:48According to cited estimates, and up to 70% of the ammunition used by Russia,
01:54as well as the exchange of energy and large annual shipments of rice that alleviate chronic food shortages.
02:01of the country.
02:02The expansion of border infrastructure between the two countries is also mentioned, including a new road bridge over the Tumen River.
02:10and the modernization of a railway link.
02:13Howard concludes that the Russian-North Korean Alliance is becoming a permanent operational partnership.
02:20He criticizes those who propose separating the European and Asian fronts and supports initiatives such as a potential Korea-NATO Partnership 2
02:30.0, driven by Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand,
02:36arguing that Washington should strengthen its alliances in the region, including restarting joint military exercises with Seoul.
02:50And that's it, and that's it, and that's it, it's there.
03:31Thank you.
03:53Thank you.
