The world is foolishly ignoring North Korea’s dangerous entry into Europe’s war – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
There is a much bigger story developing around Russia’s war against Ukraine, and remarkably, much of the world appears to be treating it as background noise.
North Korea is becoming an active participant in a European war with troops, ammunition and ballistic missiles are supporting Russia, while Ukrainian intelligence is now tracking KN-23, KN-24 and heavier KN-30 systems connected to Moscow’s war effort. The KN-23 has already moved from being an exotic addition to Russia’s arsenal to part of the ballistic threat facing Ukrainian cities.
Yet where is the outrage?
That question became particularly difficult to ignore after another devastating attack on Kyiv. Russia launched 168 attack drones and 46 cruise or air-launched missiles, alongside ballistic and hypersonic weapons, including Kalibrs, Kinzhals, Zircons, Iskanders and North Korean KN-23s.
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Ukraine intercepted almost 87% of the drones and cruise missiles publicly accounted for.
But not one of the high-speed ballistic missiles was reported intercepted.
That is the problem.
Russia has found a vulnerability, and North Korea is helping it exploit it.
Ukraine simply does not possess enough Patriot interceptors
Ukraine simply does not possess enough Patriot interceptors and other anti-ballistic systems to provide comprehensive protection against these attacks, and just a handful of ballistic missiles getting through can transform an otherwise extraordinarily successful night for Ukrainian air defence into another morning of bodies being pulled from buildings.
And Pyongyang increasingly understands that too.
This Is No Longer Just Russian Escalation
For years, North Korea’s involvement could be discussed in terms of weapons shipments and ammunition.
That description is becoming dangerously outdated.
North Korean troops have fought alongside Russian forces while ballistic missiles are being fired continually into Ukraine. The countries intelligence says a North Korean missile unit has deployed to Russia, meanwhile, Pyongyang is gaining something money cannot easily buy: real-world battlefield experience against Western weapons and air-defence systems in the largest European war since 1945.
Think about the significance of that.
Every launch potentially provides engineers and military planners
Every launch potentially provides engineers and military planners with information about reliability, accuracy, Ukrainian interception attempts and how their weapons perform against Western-supported defences.
Ukraine has effectively become North Korea’s weapons laboratory.
And Kim Jong Un gets that experience while strengthening his strategic relationship with Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, the Response?
Silence.
Well, not complete silence.
Europe has condemned Pyongyang. The European Union has also condemned North Korean ballistic-missile transfers “in the strongest possible terms.” The EU and South Korea have condemned troop deployments and military cooperation with Moscow.
Among friends, we often joke about Europe’s seemingly
Among friends, we often joke about Europe’s seemingly endless supply of “strongly worded condemnations” whenever Russia escalates. But there comes a point where another strongly worded condemnation begins to sound rather hollow, and, my God, if North Korean ballistic missiles being fired into European cities still only gets us to the “strongly worded condemnation” stage, the joke stopped being funny a long time ago.
If that does not constitute a major geopolitical escalation demanding considerably greater urgency, what exactly does?
Even more remarkably, at precisely the moment Pyongyang is deepening its involvement in Russia’s war, Washington appears increasingly willing to accommodate Kim Jong Un. Trump has praised his relationship with Kim and sought renewed engagement, while North Korea continues strengthening its relationship with Moscow.
What has Kim offered in return?
Very little.
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This cannot be viewed as a collection of unrelated developments.
Russia is producing and stockpiling missiles, Ukraine has
Russia is producing and stockpiling missiles, Ukraine has a serious ballistic-interception gap. North Korea is also supplying ballistic weapons, providing manpower and deepening military cooperation with Moscow while winter is approaching.
That should be setting off political alarm bells across Europe and beyond.
Instead, each escalation seems to be absorbed into the background noise of the war: another missile type, another deployment, another statement of condemnation.
That is perhaps the most dangerous development of all.
Because North Korea is no longer simply supplying Putin’s invasion from afar, it is becoming an increasingly active participant in it.
Ukraine is the frontline, but the consequences
Ukraine is the frontline, but the consequences of continued weakness from our European partners 🇪🇺 will not stop at Ukraine’s borders if we lose this war. 🇺🇦
Russia will emerge with North Korea as an established, battle-hardened partner, its troops experienced, its missiles tested against Western air defences, and its military relationship with Moscow considerably stronger.
Only then, that partnership will be positioned directly on NATO’s border.
I was once told silence was golden.
In international politics, right now, it is deafening.
Source: londonlovesbusiness.com
