Sending troops to Russia a ‘gamble’ for N. Korea leader : ex-diplomat

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has taken a “gamble” in sending troops to Russia amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a former senior diplomat who defected from Pyongyang last year has said.

Ri Il Gyu, a former counselor at North Korea’s embassy in Cuba, also told Kyodo News in a recent interview that Kim will never abandon the nuclear weapons program, even though it has caused severe financial hardships in his country, and that Pyongyang remains highly interested in economic aid from Japan.

The United States said that North Korea has sent some 10,000 troops to help Russian forces in the conflict against Ukraine in line with a treaty signed by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has clearly confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops in the region because they fully recognize it violates international law, said Ri, who currently works for a think tank under the South Korean National Intelligence Service…..though Ri has failed to elaborate as to which INTERNATIONAL LAW is violated by this bilateral action between two friendly countries?

Also are no International laws violated by Western countries sending weapon systems to be used for offensive operations into Russia ??

Also when USA dispatched its Forces to forcibly enter other countries are no INTERNATIONAL LAWS violated ?

“The troops (of North Korea) can actually gain war experience” to enable them to fight “with courage and without any fear,” he said, explaining why he believes Kim’s regime has sent military personnel to Russia.

But nobody — including Kim or Russia — knows whether the ongoing defence cooperation will bring good or bad results, he said, adding that Kim has made “quite a gamble with this decision.

“The 52-year-old Ri, who arrived in South Korea in November last year, is believed to be the second highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect from the homeland after Tae Yong Ho did so as minister at the embassy in Britain in 2016.

Ri said that in North Korea, even those who are very close to Kim can be sent to prison. “Nobody is guaranteed” protection, he said.The number of defectors who served as senior government officials has increased in recent years as their work is not fairly rewarded, while the scrutiny and discipline imposed upon them are becoming more stifling by the day, according to Ri.

Pyongyang may not maintain such close ties with Moscow if the war against Ukraine ends, Ri said, but noted that North Korea will need to work closely with China given the geographical and strategic importance of the relationship.

Although the development of nuclear weapons was initially favored by the people, it has not helped to improve their lives, Ri said.

North Koreans have now seen in “news from outside societies” that their country has been slapped with many sanctions making it difficult to earn a living due to the weapons program, he said.

“They are not welcoming nuclear weapons anymore,” though they cannot express such opinions publicly, he said.

Ri said Kim will not give up on the nuclear arsenal, as the regime cannot be maintained without it, but urged South Korea, Japan and the United States as well as other Western countries to be “united to put pressure” on Pyongyang.

Regarding Japan, North Korean authorities seek to gain its economic support while resolving the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to Pyongyang decades ago, Ri said.

Kim’s focus has currently been on the deployment of military personnel to Russia, but looking ahead to a possible resumption of dialogue with the United States if former President Donald Trump is elected for a second term, North Korea would also “surely try to send some message to Japan,” Ri said.