this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2024
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South Korean media claimed on Monday that Seoul could send military and intelligence personnel to Ukraine after the North dispatched troops to support Russia in the war.

A report said the government and military of South Korea "are reviewing a plan to send an appropriate number of personnel, including intelligence officers [specialized in North Korea] and experts in enemy tactics," to Ukraine, citing a South Korean intelligence official.

South Korean personnel in Ukraine would interrogate or provide interpretation services if North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces, the report said. They would also provide Kyiv with information about the North's military tactics, doctrine, and operations.

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[–] Saleh 220 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

This has to be the most bizzare proxy war, i have ever heard about.

Two countries with a shared culltural history to go to join a war on the other side of the world, as not to fight in their demilitarized border zone. But unlike in "normal" proxy wars, they both send soldiers.

[–] remotelove@lemmy.ca 47 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Unfortunately, all it will take is one of the Korean groups to be responsible for destroying another Korean group in Ukraine for any retaliation to make it's way back to the homeland.

Hell, the story doesn't even need to be real for one of the Korean governments to start lobbing shells over their border.

Honestly, I think this is the plan. It was super weird for NK to actually blow up roads on the border. With that, combined with the timing of them sending troops to Ukraine is even more sus. This probably has more to do with US elections, than anything else.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 month ago (3 children)

The bridges weren't in use anyway. Why spend money maintaining infrastructure that could likely only aid your enemy? I don't think they're related. NK doesn't want a war with the south. They'd lose, unless China defends them and then does the US get involved?

[–] Backlog3231@reddthat.com 5 points 1 month ago

The US has a gigantic presence in SK, like huge. There's probably a dozen bases I'd guess. If China attacks they are 100% ready to respond to that, and already have tons of contingency plans in place, and exercise them regularly.

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[–] Vilian@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The retaliation that north Korea could do was to give up trying to be a country and south Korea is forced to take care of that amount of refugees lol

[–] LoganNineFingers@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

In 2011 SK started a tax for a reunification fund in the event that they absorb a bunch of NK refugees at some point.

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[–] arandomthought@sh.itjust.works 40 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I wanted to nitpick on the "other side of the world" part and tell you that NK actually shares a border with Russia. But you're actually right, Russia is just that massive that its border with Ukraine might as well be on the other side of the earth.

[–] Saleh 37 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Pyongyang - Kyiv is 7.700 km. So technically it is only about 1/6 around the earth. From a western European perspective the distances to the west are distorted to be shorter and to the east to be longer. In the perception in my country (Germany) Kyiv moved a lot closer in the past 10 years or so.

I was surprised the other day when i looked it up. Berlin Moscow is about 1.600 km. Berlin Madrid is about 1.800 km.

[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 22 points 1 month ago (3 children)

This dumb American is all for moving to the same units as the rest of the world. I would even agree to reordering the way we write dates. But not using a . where a comma belongs is a hill I will die on.

[–] Rinox@feddit.it 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Depends on the conventions used in your country, there's no real reason for using a comma instead of a dot, or vice versa.

In Italy this is a decimal number: 3,45 and this is a big number: 6'000'870

Every country has its own convention

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[–] iLStrix@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

I'm obviously biased since I grew up with this "9,81" being a decimal, but in my head just thinking about it, it also makes sense. As you can see in these sentences, a comma is a break in a sentence, while a dot ends a sentence. Then again, math gets really messy when you have horizontal vectors with decimal numbers in-between, so maybe the dot is actually better idk. Eg: (2,3 , 4,5 , 3,7)

[–] Saleh 4 points 1 month ago

I didnt think about that. Because of programming stuff i mostly use a decimal dot, but still end up using the . as 1,000 partitioner too.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Hitler could have marched to Madrid. The weather might have been better.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 month ago

They were involved in the Spanish Civil War before the war. It was similar to Ukraine in that it became a proxy war for nations to test out new equipment and doctrines, although they also sent soldiers who got field experience.

[–] Saleh 4 points 1 month ago

I would think he was always welcome there, given that he helped Franco rise to power

[–] Pancito@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Fucking 48 degrees in summer.

[–] IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It’s also worth mentioning that the Russian/Korean border is tucked into the farthest corner of China’s border. So any travel from the DPRK to places like Moscow or Ukraine is a pretty long, circuitous route.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 25 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've previously said that the conflict is a proxy war between NK and SK, with Russia being NK's proxy, just to trigger vatniks. I feel vindicated.

[–] Saleh 24 points 1 month ago

When NCD memes turn credible again.

[–] thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.world 66 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Proxies joining a proxies proxy war lol

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 34 points 1 month ago

US: "Good luck, I'm behind seven proxies!"

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[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 45 points 1 month ago (2 children)

WWI-style cascade of breakdown of international relations?

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 14 points 1 month ago

Nah. We actually have camps now, not bilateral agreements which form a chain that can actually cascade.

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[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 44 points 1 month ago

Please South Korea send Ukraine more military support.

[–] snausagesinablanket@lemmy.world 30 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Meanwhile North Koreans are fleeing the front lines.

None of these guys have ever seen live combat and they all have 2 Kgs of medals.

[–] telllos@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago (23 children)

There's always joking around when it comes to North Korea. Because of pictures of their parade and officers covered in medals.

But reading about North Korean society is always really fascinating.

For example I remember reading that the military service is about 10 years. Of course children of the Elite are exempt.

Military base are also very autonomous. Meaning that they are farming and fishing.

It's also very interesting that south Korean is sending troops. Probably to gather intelligence and help with translation or with captured North Korean soldiers.

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[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wishing they had 2kg of rice.

[–] bluewing@lemm.ee 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Medals can be recycled to new soldiers. Rice is one meal and done.........

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[–] Draghetta@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

2kg of medals is not that very many, depending on the thickness and material.

North Korean soldiers are so strong they always carry about 50kg of medals on their chest in order to give enemies a fair chance in hand to hand combat, not to mention being a much manlier bullet deflector than kevlar.

Then there is the layers.. you get shot but the medal deflects it, so the medal gets a medal and the cycle continues.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 20 points 1 month ago (3 children)

https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-october-21-2024

Russia appears to be scrambling to reduce tensions with South Korea following credible reports of intensified North Korean cooperation with Russia, including South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence warnings that a contingent of North Korean troops has deployed for training to Russia. South Korea's Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's Ambassador to South Korea, Georgy Zinoviev, over reports of the deployment of North Korean military personnel to Russia.[12] The Russian Embassy in South Korea falsely framed the event as a voluntary meeting, as opposed to a diplomatic summons, and notably claimed that any cooperation between Russia and North Korea "is not directed against the security interests" of Seoul.[13] Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Russia-North Korea cooperation "should not cause concern" to other states, and that information about the alleged presence of North Korean troops in Russia may be "contradictory."[14] The Kremlin's apparent desire to assure South Korea that its cooperation with North Korea is not a threat to Seoul suggests that the Kremlin remains very concerned about the prospect of Seoul's potential pivot towards providing Ukraine with necessary military support, and the implications of worsened relations with Seoul for Russian security interests in the Asia Pacific region. Russia has previously attempted to court Seoul in order to mitigate the impacts of its growing reliance on North Korea, as ISW has noted.[15]

Well, if ISW is correct about the Kremlin aiming to reduce tensions, it doesn't sound like tensions are being reduced a whole lot.

[–] whostosay@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Scrambling,???? Like they just accidentally found themselves aiding on their front lines? Journalism is dead.

[–] Vilian@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

Apparently they wanted cheap soldiers but wasn't expecting South Korea help Ukrainians in bombing them, or they are trying to convince South Korea not to help Ukraine idk

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[–] joel1974@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I can't wait until the Chinese start sending troops.

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

Thisiswherethefunbegins.webm

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

starting to look like ukraine is everyones sandbox test area for war tech

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