Wednesday, October 30

North Korea has sent over 10,000 troops to Russia in a show of solidarity between the two nations, and it is concerning Western powers.

North Korea and Russia have been strong allies for a long time. The friendship dates back to 1945, when Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, leaving the future of the Korean Peninsula undecided. Efforts to turn the area into one unified country quickly failed, and Korea was soon split into two countries with different views on Communism. Korea was split into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with a demilitarized zone (DMZ) along the 38th parallel. The United States turned South Korea into a democracy, while China and Soviet-backed Communists helped establish the Communist state of DPRK.

In 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War. North Korea received strong support from Mao Zedong of the People's Republic of China and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, while the anti-Communist side was supported by the United Nations Command, a group created by the UN and led by the United States to support the Republic of Korea. After the two sides established the Korean Armistice Agreement to end the war in 1953, North Korea remained close allies with China and Russia and the United Nations Command maintained its support of South Korea.

Since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2022, North Korea has provided weapons and ammunition to their close ally, but they have never supplied troops to Russia. Now, as the war approaches the three-year mark in February, the conflict may be escalating.

In the past week, reports came in that North Korea was sending around 3,000 troops to Russia, which would revitalize Russia's worn-out, fatigued army. However, the number was later confirmed to be around 10,000, worsening the situation. More troops would intensify battles, fueling Russia's war effort. However, Russia has not confirmed this information, and neither has North Korea.

Further reports from the United States Pentagon showed that the troops were already being trained in Russia and are expected to be sent to fight in Ukraine over the next few weeks. Another report stated that troops were already arriving in Russia's Kursk region, where they are battling a Ukranian incursion. However, South Korea found no evidence of any troops in Kursk.

Currently, Russia is inching forward in eastern Ukraine, and they are capturing town after town, week after week. However, this new supply of North Korean troops could expedite that process, leading to an increase in Ukraine's loss of territory over the next few months.

The United States also confirmed that no limits would be placed on any US weapons used against North Korea-- any North Korean personnel would be treated the same as Russian troops in battle. It is unknown how NATO may respond to this development in the war, but member nations are communicating with South Korea and Ukraine to find out more about the troops, when they may arrive, and how Ukraine can prepare.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): If California were a country, it would have the eighth-largest economy in the world, beating out Italy, Russia, and India.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.

(Thomas Jefferson)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Omniscient (adj)- Omniscient describes someone or something with unlimited knowledge or understanding.

In a Sentence: "You'll need to tell me when you don't understand something I've explained," Maria said. "I'm not omniscient, you know."