Ukraine crisis worries South Koreans who fear Kim Jong-un could pull same move as Russia’s Putin, as North resumes missile tests

Some worry Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will hinder the North’s denuclearisation, while others take heart from South Korea’s differing geopolitical context

Concerns come as Pyongyang restarts its missile tests – and politicians look to exploit the Ukraine crisis as a ratings booster ahead of presidential elections

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: KCNA via dpa

Published: 6:00am, 1 Mar 2022Updated: 1:14pm, 9 Mar 2022

South Koreans are watching the Russian invasion of Ukraine with growing concern, amid fears of the economic fallout and North Korea’s future course of action, as presidential hopefuls seek to take advantage of the crisis ahead of next month’s election.

Although the conflict is happening on the other side of the globe, online chat rooms in South Korea have been abuzz with users debating the implications of a large despotic power posing an existential threat to a smaller neighbour.

“We have [in North Korea] one of the world’s most warlike countries in the world as our neighbour,” said Stephen Park, a 37-year-old office worker, who said the images of explosions and panicky people trying to flee coming out of Ukraine had made him “a little bit scared”.

“I know a war on the Korean peninsula is a remote possibility but I am afraid Kim Jong-un might imitate Putin and do something provocative down the road”, he said.

A huge fire is seen at a storage depot near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv after a Russian missile attack on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Park’s fears have been echoed online, especially after North Korea fired a rocket with ballistic missile capability on Sunday – its first launch since January following a pause while close ally China hosted the Winter Olympics. Pyongyang described Sunday’s launch as an “important” test for a reconnaissance satellite, but the US and others have accused Pyongyang of using its space programme as a cover to bolster ballistic-missile development.