[New Square 10] "Death during combat, destruction of weapons"...Why did Russia find the drum?

■ Host: Anchor Park Seok-won
■ Starring: Kim Yeol-soo, Director of the Korea Military Research Institute

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN New Square 10AM] when quoting.

[Anchor]
"The dispatched North Korean military has died," the Ukrainian president said. He said he also destroyed weapons supported by North Korea. In the midst of this, the Russian Defense Minister vacated the battlefield and urgently visited North Korea. Let's take a look at the background. We invited Kim Yeol-soo, head of the Security Strategy Division of the Korea Institute for Military Studies. Please come in.

[Kim Yeolsoo]
Hello,

[Anchor]
First of all, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that North Korean soldiers were killed or injured on the battlefield, but why does the Ukrainian president directly deliver the news of the North Korean military's injury and death?

[Kim Yeolsoo]
It's necessary to let the world know that North Korea participated in the war directly. At the same time, he said that there are still news of the North Korean military's death, but he actually said this through an interview with the Kyodo News Agency. However, the North Korean military's sacrifice, and the damage is only getting bigger and bigger, according to Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun's remarks to the National Assembly's National Defense Committee last week, they say that the North Korean military is not in their own command organization, but is divided into platoon units and deployed into Russian companies. In that case, there are a little more than 100 people per company, and it consists of about three to four platoon. So, three platoon are Russian troops and one platoon is bound to be North Korean troops, right? Then, the North Korean military that belongs to this group continues to be at the front, in a way, the storm soldiers are likely to be used as storm soldiers, and then they're much more likely to be sacrificed.

[Anchor]
President Zelensky also referred to the North Korean military as a bullet holder. In addition, the Ukrainian military has now said that it has destroyed North Korean anti-tank weapons. This anti-tank weapon is called Firebird-4, what kind of weapon is this?

[Kim Yeolsoo]
The range is about 10 to 25 kilometers. As you can see in the picture, there are a total of eight launch tubes in there. There are four at the bottom and eight at the top. That's what North Korea kept updating, imitating Russian-made products. The Ukrainian military said that it had already been discovered in late July. Then, our National Intelligence Service also confirmed whether the firebird-4 was actually put into the Ukraine war. So let's say that's the first person drone that's been destroyed this time, which is the first person drone that operates the Ukrainian drone. The FPV thing, that's what destroyed it. Didn't the video of the destruction come out? So if you look at that, you can see that North Korea has a variety of weapons systems that are now being put into the Russo-Russian War by supporting Russia.

[Anchor]
Now that anti-tank weapons are destroyed and news of the death of North Korean soldiers is being heard on the battlefield, didn't the Russian Defense Minister empty the battlefield and visit Pyongyang for two days and one night? What purpose should this be considered?

[Kim Yeolsoo]
This is directly related to Trump's previous conception. That's why we're going to use the current contact line as the military demarcation line and make it look like there's a Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas on the left and right sides. If so, from Russia's point of view and Ukraine's point of view, it is necessary to secure even an inch more land. Then why did the Russian defense minister go? The fiercest battle is taking place in the last two years and 10 months. The reason why I went like this is that in the end, there is a need to receive additional support from additional artillery shells.

The second is that we need additional troops. Why would you need a gun shell after a later ceasefire? You don't need any North Korean ones and you don't need any North Korean troops. On the contrary, I think that I went to the point where I needed more bullets now and asked them to send me some additional troops now. Of course, I think there must have been benefits in return for that.

[Anchor]
Should I call it such a counter benefit? Didn't Russia request the dispatch of North Korean troops to the military parade marking Victory Day next year? What does this mean?

[Kim Yeolsoo]
May 8th is celebrated as Victory Day in Europe. There's a time difference. There is a time difference between Moscow and Paris, France, so the time zone where it was signed is a little different, so Russia celebrates its victory anniversary on May 9th. Especially next year, it's our 80th anniversary. That's why most of the former Soviet empires that fought in World War II in the past, so-called former Soviet empires, Central Asia. It is expected that not only the heads of the country but also the heads of related parties will be invited to hold a large-scale Victory Day event. What the Russian defense minister said was that the North Korean military wanted to participate in this.
I think we need to go beyond the meaning of simply asking the North Korean military to participate in the Victory Day. Before May 9, there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, and Russia and North Korea won here, and I think the intention to celebrate this victory together on May 9th is strongly included in this, and in that sense, we talked about the additional dispatch of gun shells and North Korean troops.

Second, if that happens, it's purely a domestic situation. If it happens, there is a possibility that Kim Jong-un and the North Korean military will participate in this. I've already been invited, but there's a possibility that I'll visit Russia before that, but based on the deadline, there's a very good possibility that I'll visit Russia on May 9th for a summit, let's look at it like this. [Anchor] Isn't it getting more intense after President Trump's inauguration?
But now Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said that he is willing to agree to a ceasefire if he joins NATO even if he gives up restoring some of his territory. In the case of the war in Ukraine, wasn't it triggered by the NATO membership movement as well? Why is NATO membership so important?

[Kim Yeolsoo]
So, if you look at it now, it seems like the more important thing is to occupy even one more piece of territory. Rather, the issue has shifted to NATO membership. So President Putin is saying that he can never join NATO, and President Zelensky of Ukraine is asking him to join NATO. As you said, Russia invaded Ukraine because of the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, and this situation is happening.
But let me explain from the standpoint of Ukraine. Why is Ukraine thirsty for NATO membership even if it gives up its territory to join NATO? There are two big events. One is the Budapest Agreement in 1994. The other is the agreement in 2014.

The Budapest Agreement is that Ukraine was the third-largest nuclear power in the world. There were that many. But in order to dismantle this, the United States funded it, and everything went to Russia and dismantled it. At the same time, we conclude a security treaty. At that time, Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and the United Kingdom were the depositors of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. What happened when these four countries made an agreement? In 2014, Russia took all of the eastern Donbas region and Crimea. There's a sense of betrayal here. Second, in 2014, after Russia invaded Crimea into the eastern Donbas region, they had a ridiculous referendum and handed it over to Russian territory to make it their own. What I said at that time was Russia and Ukraine, and the other organization is the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the OSC. In the past, it was an organization to cooperate with the WTO and NATO countries in the past. We conclude the Minsk Agreement here. It's the so-called armistice. We had the first ceasefire agreement with the ceasefire cooperation, and as it was destroyed, we had the second ceasefire agreement.

In 2014. But what happened in 2022? Russia invades Ukraine again. Then it's like that from Ukraine's point of view. No matter how much you guys sign the agreement, what's the point? Then sign a mutual defense treaty with the United States now, or do it as President Syngman Rhee demanded from President Truman of the United States in the past. If you don't, let me join NATO. That way, my safety will be guaranteed. Russia will attack us again even if we sign an agreement to meet this. So I'm risking my life because I'm willing to lose some of my territory, so let me join NATO.

[Anchor]
I promised to protect you, but you didn't keep it, so I asked you to put it in the fence with me, but I think it's a problem because it's a situation that doesn't work. In the midst of this, there seem to be a lot of things going on with economic negotiations, as well as the war situation since Trump took office. In particular, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada visited President Trump in person over the tariff threat, how is the situation going?

[Kim Yeolsoo]
On the 24th and 25th, Trump suddenly announced tariffs. In a way, it can be seen as a bombshell. This will now impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. And China said it would impose an additional 10% more tariffs on electric vehicles, for example, 100% on electric vehicles and 50% on semiconductors. I think it's China and we can do that. Then why are you saying that you will impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico? This is a drug called fentanyl. The route to the drug is to enter the United States through Canada and Mexico and make the United States sick. That's why I'm saying I'll impose a 25% tariff if I don't do anything about it. However, it is different from Mexico and Canada in response to this. This is what the president of Mexico says.

We said we would impose the same tariffs, but the Canadian prime minister will visit Mar-a-Lago on the 29th. President Trump said he would never meet the president of another country before he took office. Nevertheless, I went because I asked for it. The relationship between the two countries, the relationship between the two leaders is very bad. Because in the past, Prime Minister Trudeau talked behind his back, and when he retaliated against tariffs, he said something, so President Trump was angry and said something about an dishonest person. The relationship was so bad for four years, and Prime Minister Trudeau braved that and visited for the benefit of the country. I think there's something we can learn from here, too.

[Anchor]
How should we move? In the case of President-elect Trump, various European countries are also preparing income statements, so don't we have a lot of bills to exchange?

[Kim Yeolsoo]
The most important thing is to contact key figures of Trump's side. So how much Korea has invested in it over the past four years. Korea is probably the most invested country in the world.
And that's like Texas, which is mainly a Republican stronghold. Taylor, our Samsung Semiconductor is going there and building it there. In addition, we will need to persuade them that we invested a lot. The other thing is that I think I'll need something like this. Like Prime Minister Trudeau, they're putting it out. We'll buy you American crude oil right now. And I'll buy you American weapons. And something like an airplane, okay, we'll buy you this. That's how you say it. At the same time, the agreement has now been signed. Defense contribution, I'm willing to renegotiate that.

If you tell me that, I think Trump will probably ease up. You mean you're going to do a 10% universal tariff on all countries. But if you think about it in common sense, the United States can't stand it if these tariffs run out at one point in a day for the world. It's just inflation. Therefore, in my opinion, it will probably be targeted by each country, but it will probably be from countries with a trade surplus with the United States.
Korea is also about 7th or 8th. So we can be the target of that, too. Instead of sitting and waiting, I think it would be better to contact them in advance and secure our profits.

[Anchor]
I see. Let's stop here. So far, I have been with Kim Yeol-soo, head of the Security Strategy Division at the Korea Military Research Institute. Thank you.