The following article is an opinion piece by Aidan Foster-Carter, an honorary senior research fellow in sociology and modern Korea at Leeds University in England. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

It’s just over a month now since North Korea officially recognized the so-called people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, and I for one have been pondering this ever since. It is an extraordinary move on many counts, especially for the DPRK of all countries.

For starters, there isn’t exactly a global rush here. While quite a few