Global & US Headlines
Kim Jong Un’s New-Year Letter Frames North Korean Combat Losses in Ukraine as Proof of an Unbreakable DPRK–Russia Alliance
On 27 Dec 2025 Pyongyang published Kim’s New-Year message to Vladimir Putin proclaiming that 2025 cemented the two states’ bond through North Korean troops’ bloodshed while fighting for Russia in the Ukraine war.
Focusing Facts
- Kim acknowledged at least 9 North Korean engineers were killed during a 120-day mine-clearing deployment in Russia’s Kursk region (Aug–Dec 2025).
- The greeting was released one day after Kim ordered an expansion of missile manufacturing and munitions factories inside the DPRK.
- South Korean intelligence estimates roughly 15,000 North Korean combat personnel have been deployed to aid Russia since 2024.
Context
Major powers enlisting smaller allies’ manpower is hardly new: during the Korean War (1950-53) China’s ‘People’s Volunteers’ lost hundreds of thousands fighting for Pyongyang, while North Korean pilots quietly flew for Egypt and Vietnam in the 1960s-70s. Today’s twist is a sanctioned, impoverished DPRK sending soldiers and shells to a sanctioned, resource-rich Russia—each bartering what the other lacks. The exchange mirrors Cold-War client-state patterns but underlines a post-unipolar trend toward hard sanctions blocs trading outside Western systems. If the partnership endures, it could loosen the effectiveness of sanctions regimes and normalize proxy deployments once thought too politically costly. A century from now the episode may be viewed not for its battlefield impact—North Korean numbers are modest relative to Russian forces—but as an early marker of a tighter Moscow-Pyongyang (and perhaps Beijing-Tehran) security corridor reshaping Eurasian power balances after the 2022 Ukraine invasion.
Perspectives
Russian state-owned media
e.g., TASS — Portrays Kim’s note as proof of an unbreakable, heroic DPRK-Russia alliance forged in shared sacrifice, underscoring that “no one can break” the two peoples’ unity. Echoes Kremlin and Pyongyang talking points that legitimise Russia’s war and gloss over North Korea’s controversial troop deployment, reflecting Moscow’s propaganda and censorship environment.
Western liberal/independent outlets
e.g., The Guardian, RTE — Highlight North Korea’s direct military aid to Russia and link it to the wider Ukraine invasion, presenting Kim’s rhetoric as alarming evidence of deepening authoritarian cooperation. Framing centres on the threat to Ukraine and regional security, reinforcing a narrative of rogue states teaming up against the West, which can downplay nuance or diplomatic context.
South Korean mainstream media
e.g., The Korea Times — Details Kim’s message while stressing the scale of DPRK troop deployments and missile production, interpreting the alliance as a growing security challenge for Seoul. Coverage is coloured by Seoul’s security concerns and political stakes, so it may accentuate risks and troop numbers to rally domestic and allied vigilance.