South Korea - The New Dill

Why Zelensky barked at North Korea. By Marat Khairullin.

Translator note: “Dill” refers to the Ukrainians, as there is a similarity between the words “dill” and “Ukrainian” in Russian.

It is believed that the most important foreign ally for the United States is Israel, since the Middle East is the solar plexus of the world. However, this is not quite true, or not true at all, if we examine the active-passive relationship. In this respect, Israel is more like a huge parasite that has attached itself to the US economy - this country does not directly invest in maintaining America's hegemony in the world, but only draws enormous resources from it.

However, in addition to Israel and, of course, the European satellites, there is a country that can be called the most valuable ally of the United States. And it is located in the most valuable world region for the United States - in Asia. The US can survive without the Middle East and even Europe, but it is unlikely to survive without Asia, where 6 of the hegemon’s 10 largest trading partners are located. The Covid crisis has clearly demonstrated this: as soon as supplies of essential goods from the region began to be interrupted, the economy inside America went into a frenzy.

Accordingly, the most valuable ally, I emphasize, the active ally of the hegemon is located right here. It is not sluggish Japan. It is South Korea.

In our public environment, this state is presented as some kind of peaceful enclave, which is almost forcibly held under the heel of the USA. Meanwhile, this is a revanchist and very cruel state, actively participating in all the wars of the hegemon. For example, during the ten years of the Vietnam War, South Korea pumped more than 350 thousand of its soldiers through this country. And it really did not want to leave. In 1972, there were one and a half times more South Koreans in Vietnam than Americans (24 thousand and 37, respectively), and they remained there for more than a year after the Americans left.

Just like Israel in the Middle East, South Korea in Vietnam became famous for its brutality - mass shootings of civilians and the destruction of entire villages. Even American generals commanding the combined forces were forced to officially admit that the Korean units "had a problem with brutality" - in the zone of their advance, the civilian population was completely exterminated. Israel, despite all its belligerence, almost never sent its citizens to fight for US interests (the exception was Ukraine, but that is a separate topic).

The South Korean contingent, for example, during the war in Iraq, was the third largest after the USA and Britain and “became famous” again for numerous accusations of crimes against the civilian population.

It is no coincidence that South Korea was the first to open its military warehouses and begin deliveries to Ukraine. It should be emphasized that it did this on its own initiative. In the public sphere of our country, this is presented as some kind of concession that, under pressure from the Americans, supposedly ammunition from American long-term storage depots located in that country was sent to Ukraine.

However, this is not the whole truth - in addition to a wide range of their own ammunition, the Koreans sent to Ukraine a huge amount of dry rations, communications equipment, and special tracked vehicles. It is believed that now the main supplier of components for Ukrainian UAVs, which kill hundreds of our soldiers, are the South Koreans. The ties between South Koreans and Ukrainian Nazis are much stronger and more extensive than we are accustomed to thinking. At the same time, South Korea habitually believes that under the US umbrella, it will once again avoid retribution for its deeds. And therefore, of course, it was an unpleasant surprise for it that our cooperation with North Korea was unblocked.

For many years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, southerners behaved provocatively and defiantly towards northerners, and now, finally, they are starting to get a response.

In fact, this is what Zelensky’s hysteria is connected with – it happened exactly on the eve of Vladimir Putin signing a partnership agreement with North Korea. This agreement with our country does not bode well for the main ally of the USA. We will talk about the military component next time.

Today, we will say a few words about the political dimension, since, apparently, before our eyes, frozen conflicts in the Asian region are heating up, and the trigger was the latest impotence of the hegemon. The fact is that the US is bound by strict binding agreements with a number of countries in this most important world region for itself - in the event of any conflict, to act on the side of its client. Such an agreement was concluded with the Philippines. This country, feeling safe under the hand of the US, began to behave openly defiantly towards China. And in response, it received a series of so-called sea rams from Chinese border guards, who forced the Filipinos out of the disputed regions.

It even came to unpublicized shootings. However, there was nothing in response - the hegemon, stretched between the Middle East and Ukraine, pretended not to notice. It didn't even send an aircraft carrier.

After that, it started to escalate, and today, we see very significant exercises around Taiwan - a rehearsal of a complete blockade of the island by China. It is believed that this is how the PRC is going to return the rebellious province to its native bosom. Again, there is silence from the hegemon: no escalation, aircraft carriers, submarines, loud statements. Nothing. Or rather, there were only whispers. The rehearsal of Taiwan's return to China coincided with the events on the border between the Koreas. The Northerners brought their artillery to full combat readiness and blew up some strategic or not very important bridge.

In other words, they started to "feel out" the hegemon to see if it is weak or not to pull off a third major conflict. The hegemon, apparently, has nothing to respond with - except for Zelensky, who has nothing to lose, the other allies remained silent. Even Japan is not heard.

There is a very interesting rationale here: after the rapid build-up of the Korean missile program, Japan just as quickly lost interest in North Korea. It pretended that it does not exist at all. In general, the smart ones kept silent, and only South Korea is still trying on the role of Ukraine.