SEOUL —
Both North and
South Korea are likely to be closely watching the American
response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though for different reasons,
analysts say.
اضافة اعلان
North Korea carried out a flurry of missile tests
in January, but none this month — possibly out of deference to its neighbor and
ally
China, which was hosting the
Winter Olympics. With the Games now over and
the Biden administration’s attention fixed on Ukraine, North Korea might decide
it’s time to resume weapons tests, to gain more diplomatic leverage with
Washington.
“The crisis in Ukraine gives North Korea more
room for options, whether it’s a long-range missile test or even a nuclear
test,” said Cheon Seong-whun, a former head of the Korea Institute for National
Unification, a government-funded research institute in Seoul.
In South Korea, many people will see
Washington’s response to Russia’s invasion as a test of its dependability as a
military ally, said Lee Byong-chul, a professor of political science at the
Institute for Far Eastern Studies at
Kyungnam University in Seoul.
He said a failure of American leadership
could even increase public support for the idea of South Korea having its own
nuclear weapons — an idea that the South’s government opposes, but which has
gained popularity as the North has kept building its arsenal and China has
become more assertive in the region.
“South Koreans saw the United States already
looking something like a toothless tiger when it withdrew chaotically from Afghanistan,”
Lee said.
“If it proves spineless in Ukraine, they will
talk more about arming their country with nuclear weapons, because they wonder
whether
Ukraine would have suffered the humiliation it is suffering now had it
not have given up its nuclear weapons.”
After the breakup of the Soviet Union,
Ukraine gave up the Soviet nuclear weapons on its soil in exchange for security
guarantees.
South Korean online chat rooms were abuzz
with people discussing the Ukraine invasion’s implications for the divided
Korean Peninsula. A weak American response would harden North Korea’s
determination not to give up its nuclear arsenal, some people said.
The South Korean government has condemned the
invasion and pledged to join international sanctions against
Russia. As of
Saturday, the North Korean government had not issued a statement about the
invasion.
“New York is the proud home of the largest
Ukrainian population in the
United States, and we condemn the unjust and
unconscionable violence being perpetrated against the people of Ukraine,”
Hochul said in a statement.
“We stand in solidarity with those in New
York who are scared for their family and loved ones, and our prayers are with
the innocent victims as they fight to maintain their freedom as a sovereign
people and nation.”
The landmarks include the
World Trade Center,
the Empire State Building, the Kosciuszko Bridge, the Mid-Hudson Bridge and
other structures and buildings throughout the state.
Landmarks have been similarly lit up in recent days
across the world, including the Eiffel Tower, the London Eye, the Colosseum in
Rome and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
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