North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia leader Vladimir Putin at their summit meeting in 2019 | Image: Kremlin (April 25, 2019)
One year ago this week, Russia upended not only Europe but global geopolitics when it launched its illegal invasion of Ukraine. And since the beginning, the international community has had its sights on how the war would impact North Korea’s long-term relationship with the Kremlin.
There appeared to be several possibilities for how things could unfold. Pyongyang could criticize the flagrant violation of Ukraine’s territory and move closer to Beijing. Or it might begrudgingly support their comrades in Moscow out of a sense of old-fashioned solidarity, while doing little else amid COVID lockdowns. Or it might fervently support the Kremlin’s “special military operation.”
One year ago this week, Russia upended not only Europe but global geopolitics when it launched its illegal invasion of Ukraine. And since the beginning, the international community has had its sights on how the war would impact North Korea’s long-term relationship with the Kremlin.
There appeared to be several possibilities for how things could unfold. Pyongyang could criticize the flagrant violation of Ukraine’s territory and move closer to Beijing. Or it might begrudgingly support their comrades in Moscow out of a sense of old-fashioned solidarity, while doing little else amid COVID lockdowns. Or it might fervently support the Kremlin’s “special military operation.”
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Benjamin R. Young is an Assistant Professor of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). He is the author of Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World (Stanford University Press, 2021). He received his Ph.D. from The George Washington University in 2018. He has previously taught at the U.S. Naval War College and Dakota State University. He has published peer-reviewed articles on North Korean history and politics in a number of scholarly journals and is a regular contributor to NK News.
