Why South Korea needs to reassess its hardline stance against Pyongyang

Reports of North Korean troops on Russian soil have caused anxieties in some quarters to soar. While the United States and its Nato allies are alarmed, it is South Korea that has much more at stake. Seoul is increasingly concerned about Russia sharing technology with North Korea, which could lead to Pyongyang getting its hands on advanced surveillance and missile technology.

Pyongyang’s comprehensive strategic partnership with Moscow includes Article 4 which binds them in case of war due to an armed invasion to “provide military and other assistance” to each other, which could include military technology. At a recent press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the two countries would “act in accordance with the article”, adding “it is up to us to decide what we will do and how we are going to do it”.

The advancement of the Moscow-Pyongyang alliance and lack of detail over the extent of their cooperation are combining to create an alarming sense of threat where South Korea is concerned. The prospect of a North Korea armed with advanced military technology is raising concerns over the region’s security arrangements, even as Seoul’s vocal support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion potentially marks it out as a target for retaliation.

The worry is that the entire Korean peninsula could be drawn into a broader conflict.

Like North Korea and Russia, South Korea and the US have a mutual defence pact. After a recent meeting in which both the US and South Korea said they were “working with partner countries to tackle shared security challenges”, President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul pledged to respond to Pyongyang’s involvement in the Ukraine war, potentially by supplying weapons directly to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang has accused Seoul of engaging in acts which undermine its sovereignty and, as a result, raise the risk of a nuclear war. Seoul’s aggressive posturing has fuelled Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hui even accused the US and South Korea of plotting a nuclear strike against her country.

  

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