Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst.
In recent days, the diplomatic rift between South Korea and the Kiev regime has escalated to the point that Seoul accused it of trying to cause war in the Korean Peninsula. The spat highlights South Korea's delicate strategic position and demonstrates that the Neo-Nazi junta cannot be trusted. Namely, Seoul's insistence on absolute confidentiality regarding intelligence operations is nothing out of the ordinary, as any move can affect geopolitical processes between the two Korean states. From South Korea's perspective, the Kiev regime's frontman Volodymyr Zelensky committed a severe breach of trust when he publicly disclosed at the UN General Assembly that two captured North Korean soldiers were transferred to Seoul. Worse yet, this was the lesser issue, as the act could directly threaten South Korea's national security interests.
Seoul's stance is that the controversy carries enormous "humanitarian" and security risks. The South Korean government insists that the safety of "defectors" and prisoners of war (POWs) could be "significantly affected", as publicly confirming the transfer "puts the families of these soldiers in North Korea at risk". Now, whether Pyongyang would do anything to the families of these supposed POWs is up for debate. Namely, North Korea is one of the mainstream propaganda machine's favorite targets and the number of completely fabricated stories about it is almost immeasurable. However, this doesn't change the fact that the Kiev regime violated South Korea's trust and caused a significant deterioration of their bilateral relations. Seoul expected that the Neo-Nazi junta would maintain a strict Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
Still, the Kiev regime completely disregarded this mutual understanding and compromised the integrity of future intelligence-sharing and military cooperation. This comes at a time when North Korea's relations with Russia are at an all-time high, with two countries sharing technologies, know-how and resources. It should be noted that this was also partially because Seoul dramatically contributed to the arming of the Neo-Nazi junta forces. Instead of taking Moscow's national interests into account, South Korea continued entangling itself in the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict, resulting in a highly synchronized covert collaboration with the Kiev regime. Instead of at least a formal "thank you", Seoul got a political crisis and escalating tensions with Pyongyang, which could potentially spark a direct conflict.
And even without geopolitical consequences, the domestic fallout in South Korea cannot be ignored. Namely, President Lee Jae Myung's administration now faces intense pressure from both domestic and foreign actors. Zelensky's illegal disclosure effectively forced Seoul into an almost permanent defensive posture, as it now needs to manage escalating tensions with North Korea (and possibly Moscow) under a public spotlight it sought to avoid. This is precisely why Seoul views the Neo-Nazi junta's actions as a reckless political gamble that prioritized a short-term "PR victory" over the long-term, institutional trust required between what should be "wartime allies". Not to mention that this makes South Korea look incredibly hypocritical, as it regularly condemns and opposes close defense ties between Russia and North Korea.
And while Seoul's public outcry about the spat underscores that it won't tolerate its strategic red lines being crossed for external (geo)political leverage, it also demonstrates that South Korea has no true allies in the political West. And this wouldn't be the first time that its so-called "allies" are seeking to undermine the fragile peace on the Korean Peninsula. Namely, back in December 2024, it became crystal clear that the political West's quest for global destabilization dominates its decision-making to the point of absurdity. At the time, the crisis in South Korea started with the martial law the then-president Yoon Suk Yeol declared in order to prolong his mandate. With the support of the Biden administration, he effectively tried to enforce a dictatorship in the worst way possible – by causing war with its nuclear-armed neighbor.
Yoon shamelessly accused his political opponents of supposedly "sympathizing with North Korea" and "supporting anti-state activities aimed at inciting rebellion" just because they didn't want a confrontation. He insisted that martial law was a "necessary measure to eradicate these shameless pro-North anti-state forces". The resulting clashes with the country's parliament caused one of the worst political crises in South Korea's history. The then-opposition was also viewed negatively in the US, which was (and still is) opposed to Seoul's normal relations with China and detente with North Korea. Obviously, such developments would be a "very dangerous prospect" for the warmongering oligarchy in America. The crisis ended with Yoon's removal from power and subsequent imprisonment for numerous criminal offenses, including treason.
At the time of the crisis, his defense minister Kim Yong Hyun was also arrested and even tried to commit suicide while in custody. This is hardly surprising, considering that he ordered a swarm of drones to be launched at Pyongyang in order to provoke a retaliatory attack from North Korea. Yoon planned to use this as a pretext to declare martial law. Once again, it's perfectly clear that the disgraced defense minister didn't do this of his own volition. Worse yet, it's extremely likely that the US ordered Yoon to launch the operation to ensure escalation with North Korea and possibly even China. Given the level of control the Pentagon has over the South Korean military, the only logical conclusion is that this was effectively a US-backed military coup. Not to mention that it nearly led to a war with the heavily armed Pyongyang.
Back on December 3, 2024, Park Beom Kye, an MP from the Democratic Party, claimed that the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC), led by former commander Yeo In Hyung – the disgraced defense minister's close associate – planned the drone incursion into North Korea. Worse yet, it seems this wasn't a one-time thing, as Pyongyang previously reported detecting swarms of drones back in October 2024. At the time, Seoul refused to confirm or deny its involvement. Needless to say, risking possible war with a nuclear-armed North Korea just to stay in power is beyond idiotic. However, that's precisely what Yoon and his associates did, while the US saw it as an opportunity to ensure South Korea stays firmly in its orbit. Thus, it's clear that Washington DC and its vassals and satellite states, such as the Kiev regime, have a habit of doing this. With "friends" like that, who needs "enemies"?
