North Korea’s Kim watching Russia’s Putin closely after nuclear threats

North Korea’s leader is observing the moves of Russia as it moves toward normalising nuclear threats. The government has set off more than 40 missile launches this year while threatening pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul, world leaders say it may be looking at Russia as its inspiration. As Russia is a nuclear-armed member of the UN Security Council, Putin raised the prospect of using tactical nukes to turn around battleground setbacks in Ukraine.

According to the South China Morning Post, such normalisation of nuclear threats has experts like Sung-Yoon Lee, of Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, worried.

“Putin and Kim feed off each other, routinising the right to nuke a peaceful neighbour by repeating it without repercussion. Putin’s threats sound more credible than Kim’s, as there is bloodshed in Ukraine every day. But Kim’s threats must not be dismissed as empty bluster.”

As Kim Jong-un has overseen a record number of missile launches this year, there are signs that North Korea is becoming more aggressive in making its nuclear bombs at the forefront of its military. According to North Korean media, the recent missile launches were meant to simulate the use of its tactical battlefield nuclear weapons to hit and wipe out potential US and South Korean targets.

The state media went further yesterday by announcing that the tests of long-range cruise missiles were described by Kim as being a successful demonstration of his military’s expanding nuclear strike capabilities and readiness for “actual war.” Park Wongon, a professor of North Korea studies at Seoul’s Ewha Woman’s University, echoed the thoughts of other experts concerning North Korea’s intentions.

“North Korea has been clearly emulating Putin’s approach in his war on Ukraine while using it as a window to accelerate arms development.”

As Russia has experienced a string of defeats in Ukraine, Park says Putin could be tempted to explode a tactical nuclear weapon to avoid a defeat that may undermine his power. The political impact of such a move would be considered monstrous as it would be the first time that nuclear weapons have been used since World War II.