The war in Ukraine is close to turning into World War III because of North Korea sending troops to help Vladimir Putin, writes The Telegraph Telegraph.
Just a few days ago, seven ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet sailed from North Korea to Vladivostok. On board were 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers. They are the vanguard of an initial force of potentially 11,000 North Korean troops to bolster Russian military action against Ukraine. And they are the latest and chilling reminder that the war is not just between Russia and Ukraine.
The line has been crossed and third party troops will soon be on the ground. Other nations on both sides may follow suit: similar actions have already been proposed by British and French politicians. Now it is a global war, potentially a world war. It is clear that Russian leaders and their allies in Iran, North Korea and – to a lesser extent – China understands the stake. However, it is not clear to what extent NATO is aware.
These 1,500 North Korean commandos are not Pyongyang's first contribution to Russia's military effort. North Korea has also sold artillery ammunition, ballistic missiles and anti-tank weapons to Russia. Along with Iran, North Korea is Russia's industrial backer – and the main reason that the Russian armed forces have not exhausted their critical equipment.
But by sending in its troops, North Korea is solving one of Russia's most serious wartime problems: its growing manpower shortage. The Russian army loses more than a thousand men per day on average killed and wounded.
North Korea's growing role in the war between Russia and Ukraine threatens to draw South Korea into the conflict. While South Korea is already supporting Ukraine with humanitarian aid – and reportedly sold one million artillery shells to the United States for onward transfer to Ukraine – Seoul was reluctant to send weapons directly to Kyiv. This is subject to change.
At an emergency meeting of the National Security Council this week, senior South Korean officials described North Korean support for Russia's military effort as a “serious security threat” and vowed to escalate their own involvement in Ukraine in response.
South Korea makes many of the best weapons in the world - particularly tanks and artillery. It may not be long before we see these weapons on the front lines in Ukraine. But do Ukraine's NATO allies assess the escalation of the war the way South Korea does?
There has been a certain decline in foreign support for Ukraine at a time when Ukraine needs more support. Perhaps South Korean aid will fill the gap.