What's happened
On October 24, 2024, the Russian State Duma ratified a military partnership treaty with North Korea, obligating both nations to provide military assistance if either is attacked. Reports indicate that North Korea has sent approximately 3,000 troops to Russia for training, raising significant security concerns for South Korea and the international community.
Why it matters
What the papers say
The Independent reported that the State Duma voted 397-0 to endorse the treaty, emphasizing the importance of developing allied relations with North Korea. The Moscow Times highlighted the potential for a 'secret clause' in the treaty allowing North Korean troops to engage in combat in Ukraine. South Korea's intelligence agency confirmed the deployment of 1,500 special forces, raising alarms about the implications for regional security. Ukrainian President Zelensky has warned that North Korean involvement would significantly increase the threat level in the region, as noted by The Guardian.
How we got here
The military partnership treaty was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to Pyongyang in June 2024. This agreement marks a significant escalation in military cooperation between the two nations, particularly in the context of Russia's ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
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More on these topics
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North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.
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Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea.
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Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008.
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Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast.
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Kim Jong-un is a North Korean politician who has been the supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea since 2012.
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The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.
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Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician, actor and comedian who is the 6th and current president of Ukraine, serving since May 2019.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 North American and European countries.
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Lloyd James Austin III is a retired four-star general of the United States Army. He was the 12th commander of United States Central Command. Austin was the first Black commander to head the organization.