Will There Be Another Cold War? Tensions Arise After North Korea and Russia Sign New Pact

North Korea has criticized U.S. military support for Ukraine and has stepped forward to defend Russia, with whom it has recently strengthened ties.

Pak Jong Chon, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the North Korean Workers’ Party, claimed that the “U.S. has blatantly revealed its sinister intentions for an extreme anti-Russia confrontation, shedding its pretentious mask” in a statement titled “Arrogant Bravado Usually Invites Punishment” that was published in the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the 24th.

Pak ridiculed the U.S. for further easing restrictions on the use of its aid weapons for Ukraine’s attack on Russian territory, calling it a “futile last-ditch attempt to salvage the deteriorating military situation by driving the Zelenskyy puppet regime into a reckless attack deep into Russian territory.”

He emphasized that “if the U.S. leaders continue to recklessly drive their war machine, Ukraine, towards the anti-Russia proxy war zone as they are doing now, an invite of a stronger confrontation from Russia will be inevitable.” He added that “it will only lead to the worst result of a full military confrontation with Russia, leading to a new world war.”

He also defended that “whatever response Russia takes it will be a righteousness action and a thorough self-defense,” adding, “North Korea will always stand with the Russian military and people who are fighting a righteous struggle to defend the sovereign rights of the state, strategic stability, and the integrity of the territory.”

U.S. media previously reported that although the U.S. had banned U.S. weapons usage on attacking Russian territory for fear of the expansion of the war, it had eased this as the front-line situation worsened.

After President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea, the fact that North Korea strongly defended Russia through the speech of a top military official is interpreted as a blatant show of alliance as the cooperation between North Korea and Russia strengthened.

The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed by the two countries stipulates that if one party is invaded, it will “provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal without delay,” which some interpret as virtually signing a military alliance agreement at the level of the previous Cold War era.