We're getting a lot closer to a bigger global conflict as NK troops and American Military contractors begin to enter the fray. Anyone else feel like were inching closer to World War than we've been since the last one ended?
This isn't going to do anything. First of all, North Korea is probably not going to send battle ready soldiers to a foreign country. There's really no reason for it. They might send ditch diggers for trenches.
Second of all, this isn't going to move the needle on the battlefield. Russia already has more troops than Ukraine. They need more and better arms and ammunition, plus better support, training, airplanes, missiles, drones, commanders, etc. Basically Russia needs a completely different military.
I don't think what the soldiers end up doing makes it less international of a conflict. The point was there's going to be sizesble amounts of foreign boots on the groun on both sides. That necessarily increases the international scope of the conflict beyond funding a proxy war.
It's almost like Ukraine is better than NK, from a moral and logical perspective. Ukraine isn't starving their own people, nor are they "disappearing" the local Muslim population á-la China. They're simply defending themselves.
Edit: Israel didn't even need soldiers, Palestinians didn't even have weapons to defend themselves and are starving to death, so money and weapons will do the work to continue with the genocide.
Huh? In what way was what I said a "slippery slope"? This article is literally talking about NK sending troops to Ukraine. I wasn't even the one to bring up NATO or the US in the first place.
I wholeheartedly believe Palestine should be freed and that we shouldn't be supplying weapons at all. The genocide is disgusting. But at least the US isn't using US troops, nor are they doing trade deals to send more poor people into Gaza (like NK and Russia are doing in this article, except in Ukraine instead of Gaza).
What does that have to do with anything? Are you attempting to say Ukraine has those and therefore all of Ukraine deserves to be killed? Good job attempting to change the subject, I guess. Better invade every country on earth since Nazis are literally everywhere, civilian casualties be damned. Better invade your own country too.
PS. Russia does not actually care about Nazis, they have their own after all. They only want Ukraine's land, ports, and people.
I don’t think anyone is saying they shouldn’t be allowed to do it; just that they think it’s going to go poorly
Also I would add that it’s a moderately dire sign as far as the state of Russia’s manpower levels. Every country at war desperately wants more soldiers at all times but some desperates are more desperate than other desperates.
If China directly supports Russia NATO will throw sanctions on them and that will hurt China. China is supporting Russia, but they are walking a find line as China cannot afford to make NATO mad. (NATO also will hurt, which is why NATO is looking the other way, but how long will NATO put up with China is an open question)
Financial support and sending foreign soldiers directly to the frontline are two very different kinds of involvement. Imagine the Russian freakout if NATO actually sent soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Maybe the North Koreans will actually speed that process up.
Of course you don't see the problem. You can't seem to see the problem with a lot of issues. Your average post score is -20. Maybe you should do some self reflection, or maybe you're just a naive 20-something and will grow out of it
NK will probably threaten threaten the families of the soldiers sent with execution if the soldiers surrender. Sadly, that can make for a motivated soldier.
Or.. the north Koreans truck over fodder for the storm Z units from their prisons. And the Russians use barrier troops to force them to attack.
This is a horrible development that just creates more suffering.
That said maybe south Korea can send military translators for the case some get captured. It can be an epic PR tool for south Korea having a solid group of north Koreans that lived.
Ukrain is a country of 40 million people, with millions already internally displaced from the war. A few thousand extra refugees wouldnt even be noticed.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the US announced it would lift the ban on American contractors going to Ukraine at the same time as this. Russia reaps what it sows. Ukraine gets highly payed and skilled contractors, in return, Russia gets malnourished and untrained Korean conscripts.
Yes, it’s actually huge. Especially for maintaining a weapon as complicated as an Abrams tank. If it can be repaired close to the front lines then that has the potential to cut days off the turnaround time compared to towing it over to Poland.
I will never understand why the American military think it's a good idea to send them tanks that are so complicated. Especially when they're going up against cold war era relics.
The best tactic Ukraine could have at this point would just be to encourage the North Koreans to defect. Can't imagine it'll be particularly difficult, "hey switch sides and we won't kill you, and here's a free house with electricity, water and indoor plumbing".
It would be like trying to convince people to leave the 15th century.
… “and don’t worry about your family back home in North Korea who will be compressed into tinned meal”.
The defection rate will be low I suspect. It’s an automatic TFK (total family kill) to defect and I doubt they’ll send anyone who don’t have family at home in Glorious Motherland!
I wonder if many will even fight? If I were from North Korea, I'd consider surrender to be a godsend. They would do terrible things to the family members, though... I guess that's the true cruelty of regimes like this. They punish the people you love.
According to Russian propaganda Ukraine has been doing just that the entire time, but if it actually happened that would be yet another red line to cross.
I hate this dunk because it's clearly shown in the original video that the DPRK officer saluted Trump first. The president salutes like fifty Marines every single day, it's not strange for him to reflexively salute someone else without thinking about it.
My point is that if you see people salute you and you salute them back, do it enough times and it will become a reflex. The response to Obama bowing to someone in a culture where bowing is totally normal was equally stupid, but it was conservatives doing it instead of liberals.
Biden broke all ties with North Korea after Trump. Reverting to the old demand to denuclearize before for any negotiations and imposing more sanctions.
As we have learned from Ukraine. no sane country should ever give up their nukes because they become a prime target for invasion. If Ukraine still had nukes Russia would never have invaded.
Now I'm not a an NK fan but I'm not sure why people think pushing NK away would make them more friendly. Unlike the past where American sanctions spelled doom and America could bend any country to their will, China and Russia are now picking up the countries America pushes away.
Well yes because America had been pushing North Korea away.
Trump tried to lay contact with NK. He might not have had pure motives for it. He usually doesn't. But the action itself is not the problem.
Biden hitting NK with the "new number who dis" right after becoming president certainly doesn't make them trust us more. And thus they have been pushed further into the arms of Russia.
The classic American imperialists refuse to accept that by sanctioning a country into oblivion they will now just join China and Russia's side. They have alternative options.
Most Americans don't even know why North Korea is so hostile. We bombed them into oblivion during the Korean war.
Well yes because America had been pushing North Korea away.
The classic American imperialists refuse to accept that by sanctioning a country into oblivion they will now just join China and Russia's side.
Most Americans don't even know why North Korea is so hostile. We bombed them into oblivion during the Korean war.
What the fuck is this revisionist history?
North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, after the South refused Northern rule. The UN stepped in (90% American forces) pushing the North Koreans nearly to China's borders, at which point China entered the war, and resulting in the 38th parallel armistice border we have today.
North Korea wasn't pushed into China's welcoming arms due to American anti-nuclear proliferation sanctions of the last twenty years, and "being bombed into oblivion" is often the result of picking on countries with bigger allies than you, just ask Germany and Japan.
China has propped up the Kim dictatorship dynasty for the last 70 years, feeding their starving masses while the Kims focus the country's resources on military spending, including nuclear development to substantiate their annual saber rattling. Allowing China to maintain a buffer state, that's kept the West at bay since 1951.
NK & SK were making historical progress towards reunification until Kim and Trump met. Look at the pics from the summit and the timeline of inter Korean relations and it’s clear as day. He’s the reason relations went downhill.
Does north korea have actually good military power? I've seen their parades here and there, but does anyone know if they have updated equipment, trained military personnel, good intelligence, etc?
Military is the only thing they have. It might not be the most modern, but they have more artilery shells than any other country. Other stockpiles are huge AF as well. Almost 4% of their population are in active military service and 2% more are reservists. In terms of head count, they have almost as many active personel as Russia while having a fraction of population. Plenty of disposable meat!
It's all smoke and mirrors, the majority of their stockpiles would be bordering on defunct. Modern equipment they have is far and few between, their training is subpar.
Plenty of disposable meat is certainly correct though!
You may be right. We just saw how Russia performed in the war in Ukraine despite the prior years of flexing lol. It's not impossible to believe that the North Korean military is the same.
Agreed that they have a pretty big military in terms of raw numbers. I'm not going to discuss quality because the biggest question mark here is force projection.
How are they planning on sending over any significant manpower and supplies across 2800km?
They don't even have a navy capable of circumnavigating the korean peninsula, much less make the trip to Ukraine or the wrong side of Russia.
They have 2 transport aircraft, the bigger of the 2 has a max passenger capacity of 44 pax. Neither of those have the range to get near Ukraine when flying fully fueled, nevermind if it were fully loaded.
They have massive amount of soldiers and are good and making artillery and missiles. It is a big black box however since they haven't been engaged in a conflict recently so all their troops lack experience.
Their economy is practically built for conflict so it shouldn't be taken lightly.
Yeah, I have a feeling that they will have very low morale because of lack of motivating factors. Desertion might also become a massive problem since this is one of the few ways to get out of the DPRK.
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