Although the United States is gradually focusing its attention on the Middle East, this does not mean that the United States has stopped paying attention to the Russia-Ukraine war. Earlier, the White House had said that North Korea was supplying missiles to Russia for use in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and a large number of missiles had begun to attack Ukraine. The incident sparked shock in many countries, not because of doubts about Russia's military production capacity, but because of North Korea's daring to aid missiles. North Korea's intermediate-range missile threat has emerged, drawing international attention.
The biggest risk of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is not only a geopolitical risk, but also a possible conflict between Russia and the United States, which could lead to a third world war. Once these two nuclear** and huge countries go to war, it will be difficult to control, and a world war will be inevitable. And the special role of the DPRK between the United States and Russia makes it a "powder keg". At present, there are four major powder kegs in the world, namely the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Taiwan issue of China, and the Korean Peninsula issue.
At present, there has been a conflict between Russia and Ukraine and Palestine and Israel, and North Korea's involvement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine at this time is of far-reaching significance. From the perspective of North Korea, the US-Russia war has some benefits for North Korea. North Korea has always wanted to unify the Korean Peninsula, so in early January 2024, Kim Jong-un said that inter-Korean relations are no longer homogeneous, but completely hostile. In addition, North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells at the area north of Yeonpyeong Island and Baeknyeong Island in South Korea, indicating that North Korea is ready to move.
In the case of a confrontation between the United States and Russia, the outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula will lead to total destruction, but if Russia goes to war with the United States, it will be beneficial to North Korea. This will ensure that the United States focuses primarily on fighting Russia and avoids the Korean Peninsula becoming the main battleground. From an equipment point of view, North Korea's missiles are very unstable. Although the North Korean missiles perform well in performance parameters, have a long range and are powerful, the accuracy of the North Korean missiles is questionable due to the backward level of the country's electrification industry and the lack of a systematic navigation system.
Therefore, when Russia uses North Korean missiles, it may accidentally damage other targets. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to escalate. Why does North Korea supply missiles to Russia?There is no single reason for this move. In addition to the fact that the US-Russia standoff is beneficial to North Korea, another important reason why North Korea supplies missiles to Russia is the escalating tensions between the two Koreas. Specifically, it all dates back to the August 2023 joint military exercise "Ulchi Freedom Shield".
In this exercise, a scenario was envisaged: when North Korea attacks south, South Korea first defends and then cooperates with the U.S. military to counterattack the Korean Peninsula. The scale of the exercise was huge, and the United States even sent an EP-3E reconnaissance plane to monitor North Korea, which can be described as a provocative act. Relations between the two Koreas then took a turn for the worse, with the two sides abrogating the 9/19 military agreement in November 2023 and holding a "New Year's Eve joint military exercise" from December 29, 2023 to January 4, 2024, simulating a strike against North Korea.
In the end, the US White House declared that North Korea supplied missiles to Russia. Judging by the actions of the three sides, it is clear that they are all escalating their provocations against North Korea, which is eager to reunify the Korean Peninsula. Given North Korea's persistence in this matter, if the subsequent situation continues to aggravate, it is possible that North Korea will send "volunteers" into the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield. North Korea needs Russian grain, and with the aggravation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, such a thing is not out of the question.
Although it is not appropriate for North Korea to directly send troops to intervene in the war, if it enters the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield as a "volunteer army", it will be difficult for NATO to find too many thorns. If the United States and South Korea continue their high-pressure policies toward North Korea, we may see North Korean troops appear on the battlefield in Ukraine. From China's perspective, North Korea's current actions are not conducive to maintaining regional stability. On January 5, a spokesman for China responded to North Korea's supply of missiles to Russia, saying, "I don't know what you mentioned about cooperation."
China is not aware of this, and judging by the current international situation, Russia cannot intervene in the situation on the Korean Peninsula. If a conflict breaks out on the Korean Peninsula and deteriorates to a point beyond North Korea's control, North Korea can only hope for Chinese intervention. However, China's current strategy is to ensure stability, because only stability can ensure development, safeguard its own industrial upgrading, and consolidate its presence in Southeast Asia. In the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula, China will inevitably be affected.
This is a potential crisis close to China that could spill over into Taiwan. This is clearly a serious challenge for China, which aspires to maintain stability. No matter how much China pursues stability, once war breaks out, China will have to deal with it. Because the current international situation is full of competition, the United States has been exerting maximum pressure on North Korea and seems to be seeking opportunities for war. The United States and South Korea have been pressuring North Korea through joint military exercises.
Therefore, although China is still seeking stability, if war does break out, China will not back down, because China is "always ready". [1] Reference: China Youth Network, "Characterized by North Korea as a "war of aggression against North Korea", what should be practiced in the South Korea-US exercise?》。2] National Business Daily, "Burst!".North Korea fired more than 200 shells!South Korea dispatched tank guns to respond to sea shooting!》。3] Observer.com, "Kim Jong-un: Inter-Korean Relations.""It's no longer a kinship", but a completely hostile relationship".
4] "The White House Says North Korea Supplies Ballistic Missiles to Russia, China Responds."