Ukraine Crisis Prompts Fears of North Korean Challenge to US-Seoul Alliance
Experts say the Russian invasion of Ukraine is likely to spur North Korea to take a bolder stance in pursuing its long-term goal of fracturing South Korea’s alliance with the United States.
Retired U.S. Army General James Thurman, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) from 2011 to 2013, said, North Korean leader “Kim Jong Un will seize on the Ukraine-Russia crisis to test the alliance” of the U.S. and South Korea.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raged into its sixth day on Wednesday, Ukrainians continue to fight alone to defend the capital of Kyiv, without the support of a military force from neighboring European countries or the U.S.
President Joe Biden reiterated his promise not to send U.S. troops to defend Ukraine on February 24, the day when Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized “a special military operation,” essentially declaring war on Ukraine.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the U.S.-led security alliance of European and North American countries, and it does not have a bilateral security treaty with the U.S. that guarantees U.S. defense against an attack on its territory.
