“The relationship between Russia and North Korea is clearly developing into a much closer one with various aspects and shared goals”

Vladimir Putin Kim Jong Un

Important Takeaways:

  • North Korea has sent more than 100 KN-23 and KN-24 short-range nuclear capable ballistic missiles to Russia, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.
  • Pyongyang joined the fray in August and is reinforcing Moscow’s troops in Kursk after Kyiv launched an incursion in the summer. North Korea’s support has become a key, as Pyongyang assists Moscow in replenishing its weapons stockpiles.
  • “The aggressor state of Russia has received more than 100 such missiles from the DPRK. The enemy first used these weapons in the war against Ukraine at the end of 2023,” said the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
  • “Along with the missiles, Pyongyang then sent its military specialists to Russia to service the launchers and participate in war crimes against Ukraine.”
  • This shipment is part of a broader effort by North Korea to support Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, including other military supplies such as artillery systems and rocket launchers.
  • According to South Korea’s national intelligence service, North Korea has delivered over 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles, and other conventional weapons to Russia since August, 2023.
  • Samuel Cranny-Evans told Newsweek: “The relationship between Russia and North Korea is clearly developing into a much closer one with various aspects and shared goals.”

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North Korea to rotate 100,000 troops in and out indicating a prolonged conflict in Ukraine

Important Takeaways:

  • North Korea may deploy as many as 100,000 soldiers to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to assessments from G20 nations reported by Digi24.
  • The move would deepen the alliance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, reflecting growing cooperation between the two nations.
  • Sources familiar with these evaluations stated that such a deployment is not imminent. If it happens, the soldiers would likely be sent in phases, with troops rotating over time rather than being deployed all at once.
  • This approach would help sustain combat effectiveness and minimize losses.
  • The figure of 100,000 soldiers indicates that Putin may be preparing for a prolonged conflict. This potential reinforcement would complement military supplies already provided by North Korea, including artillery shells and ammunition.
  • The growing military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have raised concerns among international observers. Experts warn that deeper cooperation could further destabilize the region and extend the war in Ukraine.

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The implications of North Korea fighting alongside Russia means upgrades from antiquated military strategies into modern warfare

North Korea Military

Important Takeaways:

  • It was revealed last month that 12,000 North Korean troops had been sent to Ukraine to fight on behalf of Russia. Now, they are reported to have been deployed to Kursk as part of the Russian counter-offensive, while Pyongyang this week ratified a landmark new defense pact with Moscow.
  • There were already indications that North Korea had provided significant materiel to the Russian war effort, including 8 million rounds of 122-millimeter and 152-millimeter ammunition and a number of ballistic missiles, according to figures from CSIS.
  • But the deployment of soldiers – apparently to assist the 50,000 Russian troops – is a serious escalation.
  • The implications could go further than that, however – including for the security of the Indo-Pacific, and particularly South Korea. Units that fight alongside Russian troops may get the opportunity to learn modern warfare techniques and tactics.
  • … in a statement to Business Insider that “Russia is training North Korean soldiers to operate strike UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] and reconnaissance drones”.
  • Such training in the use of drones, counter-drone techniques, GPS jamming and other electronic warfare technologies in such a front-line environment – combined with Russian technology transfers – may end up serving as a catalyst for the modernization of North Korea’s large but famously outdated army.

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Russian counteroffensive could be days away as 50,000 troops amass on the Ukrainian border

Important Takeaways:

  • Vladimir Putin has amassed 40,000 of his soldiers and 10,000 North Koreans as he plots to attack Kursk in just days, a report claims.
  • The Kremlin leader is set to try and claw back the area of Russia which Ukraine seized back in August.
  • Those soldiers are said to be wearing Russian uniforms and have been equipped by Moscow, but will fight in their own units.
  • Putin’s army has also been training the North Koreans in infantry tactics, artillery fire, and trench clearing.
  • Russia’s major battlefield assault looms as Donald Trump’s election win could also change the shape of peace talks.
  • Ukraine is waiting with bated breath for the Republican’s next move following his historic election win.

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North Korea seeking attention on eve of US election launching seven short range ballistic missiles into the sea

Hwasong-19-intercontinental-ballistic-missile

Important Takeaways:

  • North Korea launched seven short-range ballistic missiles into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula in a test on Monday evening ahead of the U.S. presidential election, according to The Associated Press.
  • The seven missiles, detected by Japan and South Korea, flew as far as 400 kilometers (248 miles) according to Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani.
  • Some analysts believe that North Korea might leverage its expanding nuclear arsenal in order to gain concessions from the next U.S. administration, particularly in the form of sanctions relief.
  • South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol theorized as to why North Korea has conducted the missile launches and said, “North Korea seems to have recently disclosed its nuclear facility in order to draw attention from the United States and the international community in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election, and it is likely that North Korea will carry out additional provocations such as nuclear tests and ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] launches going forward.”
  • The ICBM that North Korea tested at the end of last month could theoretically reach anywhere in the U.S. mainland, as it reached an altitude of 4,350 miles and flew a distance of 620 miles, according to Nakatani. It has a potential range of 9,320 miles.

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‘Land of Tunnels’ research shows that North Korea has been aiding Hezbollah since at least the 80’s in tunneling operations

Hezbollahs-tunnels-in-Lebanon

Important Takeaways:

  • “Hezbollah’s model is the same as the North Korean model: tunnels in which hundreds of combatants, fully equipped, can pass stealthily and rapidly underground. In our opinion, Hezbollah’s ‘Land of the Tunnels’ project is much larger than the Hamas ‘metro’ project in the Gaza Strip.” — Alma Research and Education Center, July 2021.
  • “Various reports indicate that in the late 1980s, and even more so after the Second Lebanon War (2006), North Korea advisors significantly assisted Hezbollah’s tunnel project
  • These tunnels facilitate the movement of heavy equipment, missiles and fighters, and even allow missiles to be launched from within.
  • Built beneath the border between Lebanon and Syria, these tunnels allow Hezbollah’s smuggling unit and the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force to transport ammunition, supplies and fighters under the border.
  • Many of these tunnels are located beneath civilian infrastructure and populated areas, using civilians as human shields for their activities.
  • Even if Hezbollah says it will withdraw to north of the Litani River, the tunnels enable it easily to violate that pledge, with no one above ground the wiser. Hezbollah, moreover, never abided by UNSC Resolution 1701 to stop building tunnels and stockpiling weapons in south Lebanon.
  • The current war in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip must not end without the destruction of all the tunnels and the total defeat of Hezbollah and Hamas. Those who are pushing for an immediate ceasefire are only empowering Iran and its terror proxies, paving the way for another October 7-style massacre. The defeat of Hezbollah and Hamas will benefit not only the Israelis, but the Lebanese and Palestinians, as well.

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North Korea test fires new missile; flaunts its ability to strike anywhere in the US

South_Korea_Koreas_Tensions_09485_s878x585

Important Takeaways:

  • North Korea on Thursday morning test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile with the range to hit the continental United States, just five days before the U.S. presidential election.
  • Though Pyongyang has already tested an ICBM capable of striking the American homeland, analysts said Thursday’s missile displayed significantly improved performances over prior models.
  • Experts say the timing of the launch may have been driven by political considerations in the United States rather than pressing technical reasons – and not simply the Nov. 5 election.
  • Japanese and South Korean news outlets reported that the North Korean missile flew for some 86 minutes and reached an altitude of more than 4,300 miles – record flight times and heights for a North Korean missile. It flew approximately 621 miles before splashing in the Sea of Japan.
  • The test was conducted at a lofted trajectory. If fired at a normal angle, analysts estimate, the missile would have the range to reach the entire continental U.S.
  • The missile, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs, was likely a solid-fuel weapon. That means it can be rolled out of cover and launched more swiftly than a liquid-fueled weapon, avoiding preemptive strikes.

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In a World Disarray: Russia, China, Iran, North Korea push for a World Order change

Russia-China-Iran-and-North-Korea-world-order-illustration-by-Greg-Groesch-The-Washington-Times

Important Takeaways:

  • Russia has been on a roll: the 2008 invasion of Georgia, the seizure of Crimea in 2014 and the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine surprised an overconfident Vladimir Putin, yet the war continues, with Russian casualties exceeding 500,000.
  • From the time Russia invaded Ukraine, Mr. Putin has threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons. He recently announced a new nuclear doctrine: Aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear one, should be considered a joint attack.
  • [meanwhile] China is building more missile silos: 120 in Gansu province and about 110 in Xinjiang province. China’s Rocket Force, established by President Xi Jinping, receives significant resources for the nuclear modernization program. China is not a member of New START and continues to refuse to discuss its nuclear program with the U.S.
  • China continues to encircle and threaten Taiwan and claim sovereignty over the South China Sea despite a 2016 U.N. Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in favor of the Philippines that said China’s actions were unlawful. China continues to ignore the ruling.
  • North Korea has about 50 nuclear weapons and enough fissile material to produce seven nuclear weapons per year. It also has a chemical and biological program, and in 2002, it was the only country that withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
  • Since the failure of the February 2019 Hanoi Summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been in a race to build more nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to launch them as far as the U.S. with the Hwasong-17, a road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple reentry vehicles, with a range of 15,000 kilometers (over 9,320 miles), capable of reaching the entire U.S.
  • Iran is in a category by itself.
  • Iran enriches uranium to 60%, enabling it to produce weapons-grade uranium in a few weeks. The International Atomic Energy Agency monitors Iran’s nuclear-related activities and has expressed concern about not getting the access its monitors require to certify that Iran is in compliance with IAEA safeguards.
  • Moreover, Iran’s ballistic missile program is impressive — 12 types of medium-range and short-range ballistic missiles. It is only a matter of time before Iran has ICBMs capable of targeting Europe and the U.S. This is in addition to its support of its proxies Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Iran’s goal: to annihilate Israel.
  • This is the axis of authoritarian states. The nations’ goal is to change the world order.

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NATO Secretary General confirms North Korean soldiers already in Ukraine

NATO Sec Gen confirms N. Korea soldiers in Ukraine

Important Takeaways:

  • North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine within “the next several weeks,” the Pentagon said Monday, in a move that Western leaders say will intensify the almost three-year war and jolt relations in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • Some of the North Korean soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, and were believed to be heading for the Kursk border region, where Russia has been struggling to push back a Ukrainian incursion.
  • Earlier Monday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte NATO confirmed recent Ukrainian intelligence reports that some North Korean military units were already in the Kursk region.
  • Adding thousands of North Korean soldiers to Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II will pile more pressure on Ukraine’s weary and overstretched army. It will also stoke geopolitical tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the wider Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia, Western officials say.

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Could Russia reward North Korea with hi-tech advancements to perfect their nuclear weapons? That’s what officials are concerned about

Could Russia help N. Korea advance nuclear weapons

Important Takeaways:

  • South Korea warned Tuesday it could consider supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea allegedly dispatching troops to Russia, as both North Korea and Russia denied the movements. NATO’s secretary general said that would mark a “significant escalation.”
  • South Korean officials worry that Russia may reward North Korea by giving it sophisticated weapons technologies that can boost the North’s nuclear and missile programs that target South Korea.
  • The officials agreed to take phased countermeasures, linking the level of their responses to progress in Russian-North Korean military cooperation, according to the statement.
  • Possible steps include diplomatic, economic and military options, and South Korea could consider sending both defensive and offensive weapons to Ukraine, a senior South Korean presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity in a background briefing.

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