“Despite the evident threat posed by Pyongyang, Russia–North Korea cooperation has not become a unifying factor for strengthening the partnership between Ukraine and South Korea. In Seoul, there are two opposing political approaches on how to respond to the North’s actions, which limits the possibility of providing Ukraine with defence support. At the same time, Pyongyang is already significantly modernizing its armed forces through cooperation with the Russian Federation, gaining access to technologies and financing, while its troops participate in combat operations and acquire battlefield experience. This creates a new level of threat to South Korean security, although part of the political elite in Seoul tends to underestimate the growing risks”

This assessment was expressed by Nataliya Butyrska, Associate Senior Fellow at the New Europe Center, during an expert discussion at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center dedicated the trends in military-technical cooperation between Russia and the DPRK, its impact on the course of the Russian-Ukrainian war and regional security in East Asia.

Key issues of the discussion:

• Transformation of the image of North Korea in Russian propaganda
• What aspects of military-technical cooperation between Russia and the DPRK pose a threat to Ukraine in the medium term?
• How does the Kremlin assess the potential for cooperation with the DPRK?
• The Implications of the Moscow-Pyongyang Partnership for Security in East Asia

The event will was held as part of the United for Truth project with the support of the Canada Ukraine Foundation