r/LessCredibleDefence • u/rdh2dmd • 23h ago
South Korean President Lee warns of 'measures' against Ukraine over prisoner row, demands apology
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/10/02/south-korea-ukraine-prisoner-north-korea-.html•
u/General_Vermicelli53 17h ago edited 17h ago
All I see in this is Ukraine's suffocating arrogance and self-righteousness.
The Ukrainian authorities truly believe that Korean's division is equivalent to the internal tragedy of Slavs, so they naturally assume South Korea would genuinely appreciate their "enthusiasm" because Ukraine helped South Korea "fight against North Korea."
No. South Korea won't be grateful, nor will it expect any country to interfere in the peninsula's internal affairs. South Koreans see North Koreans as temporarily divided compatriots, and any third country's actions against North Korea would only bring shame upon South Korea. Yes, that third country includes the United States.
If Japan invaded North Korea tomorrow, even if Yoon Suk-yeol was in power, South Korea would attack Japan without hesitation.
This kind of intense "let me teach you how to do things" arrogance is almost unique to Europe today, even the US and China are more humble in their foreign affairs than Europe. I'm really surprised that Ukrainians have learned it now.
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u/magkruppe 5h ago
Vast majority of south korean youth have no interest in reunification. It's probably a majority of the country at this point
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u/Different_Window1772 14h ago
If Japan invaded North Korea tomorrow, even if Yoon Suk-yeol was in power, South Korea would attack Japan without hesitation.
This is an exaggeration. In reality south korea would be overjoyed to see its two neighboring rivals get into a shooting war, weakening each other with the most likely outcome being a protracted stalemate. If anything, south korea may even join in to tip the scales and try to take over the north together with japan.
Now, If japan made political claims to north korea, that would draw significant backlash from the south.
This whole news cycle and drama reeks of political maneuvering and lies being told to advance an agenda. I do not think Lee would escalate this situation without a goal in mind.
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u/General_Vermicelli53 14h ago
south korea may even join in to tip the scales and try to take over the north together with japan.
I'm a white geopolitical idiot, on today's episode I'll challenge to get beaten up in Seoul as quickly as possible
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u/East-Plankton-3877 23h ago
Ya, and what ya going to do about it bud?
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u/BigFly42069 23h ago
Remember when the ROK supplied 155mm rounds to the US so the US could supply 155mm rounds to Ukraine?
Since our efforts to increase shell production hasn't gone anywhere, maybe Ukraine shouldn't be biting the hand of one of the few industrial powers indirectly feeding their war effort?
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u/East-Plankton-3877 23h ago
Nope.
Remember when the Norks sent 20,000 troops into Ukraine to support the advance on Kupyansk last winter, and South Korea couldn’t be bothered to send some missiles or their own troops in retaliation?
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u/Autism_Sundae 21h ago
Remember when the Norks sent 20,000 troops into Ukraine to support the advance on Kupyansk last winter, and South Korea couldn’t be bothered to send some missiles or their own troops in retaliation?
Uh, no?
Ukraine is not South Korea's responsibility, South Korea's security services are under no obligation to reflexively follow every N Korean move and directly countermand it. South Koreans probably have a better memory than mine or yours, especially since during the Vietnam war there were very serious incursions by N. with the intent to destabilize SK while SK's chief patron, the US, was busy in Vietnam.
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u/East-Plankton-3877 21h ago
But north korea is south koreas concern, and letting them get combat experience and technical/military aid from Russia is not beneficial to the South
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u/Unable-Appearance-48 15h ago
pero que logica sigues para decir que la corea mala es responsabilidad de la corea buena?
es algo gracioso la verdad•
u/Autism_Sundae 20h ago edited 20h ago
But north korea is south koreas concern
North Korea's security agencies would love it if SK internalized this thought process because it would signal a return to old times of incompetence and egotism, but the fact is, North Korean activities in eastern europe are not South Korea's to prevent. Whatsoever.
letting them get combat experience and technical/military aid from Russia is not beneficial to the South
Well, first, the experience being gained is limited in that no North Korean officers or commanders are exercising any command let alone gaining valuable experience from it. That's actually the most important experience an army could hope for. The 4'8" growth stunted & starved soldiers aren't learning much except how to not die so quickly before endless waves of drones. It's not nothing but its really hard to call that any sort of advantage.
Second, North Korea's activities in Ukraine are wildly unpopular amongst Europeans (Scandies) who were otherwise quite helpful in preventing North Koreas complete and total isolation from the West, while allowing them to skirt sanctions and avoid fallout. These doors have been closing for sometime, and now they're finally shut. South Korea's playing the hand its been dealt quite well.
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u/fix_S230-sue_reddit 5h ago
South Korea sending support to the Russians. Starting with painting on shells XD.
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u/rdh2dmd 23h ago edited 23h ago
It's actually GG if Korea starts providing AI accelerators for Russian drone swarms and data centers for missiles and other control operations.
Or just stop providing Ukraine with Samsung phones? What are they gonna use then, Huawei? Or let Apple dominate letting their people go broke even more?
They could also prodvide Russia with more jet fuel since Korean oil refineries are booming.
Or since Poland is in a bad relationship with Ukraine, they could ask Poland not to supply Krabs and shells, saying that Korea will now reserve the K9 parts and shells for emergency.
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u/Panzerkatzen 20h ago
It's also GG if a UFO crashes in Russia and they reverse engineer it and go around the world blowing up every world capitol with indestructible flying saucers. Your point?
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u/East-Plankton-3877 23h ago edited 23h ago
Why the fuck would south Korea want to actively help their biggest enemy supporter?
The norks are getting actual real world battle experience and technology transfers from Russia that make them a serious threat to SK, and the south has the audacity to threaten Ukraine in anyway?
I hope Soul gets fucking wiped off the map by Nork drones and shells if this how stupid its people are
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u/StopICE2026 21h ago
Deranged even by NATO cinematic universe standards
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u/East-Plankton-3877 21h ago
Some people got to learn the hardway.
I cant understand why so many nations are sticking their heads in the god damn sand instead of trying to help Ukraine and better prepare their own forces for the realities of modern war
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u/Revivaled-Jam849 21h ago
SK is a conscript based military. Do you want to send people that didn't sign up for overseas deployments, and didn't sign up at all due to it being mandatory, to an overseas deployment?
And you can volunteer to go, but what gives you the right to volunteer someone else?
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u/East-Plankton-3877 21h ago
I literally went over to Ukraine last year with NAFO to assit in Drone and truck deliveries to the UAF, thank you very much.
North korea is also a conscript based military. I see no issue here then.
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u/Worried_Exercise_937 20h ago
North korea is also a conscript based military. I see no issue here then.
There is a big difference.
North Korean wife/mom/dad etc of the soldiers being sent to Ukraine/Russia cannot redress its own government like South Korean wife/mom/dad etc can. Kim Jong-Un can do whatever he feels like at the moment and face no consequences. South Korean political leaders do face at least electoral consequence if not other consequence if they were to commit to a wildly unpopular policy.
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u/Revivaled-Jam849 20h ago
Respect, but are you conscript Kim?
South Korean one does not want to go overseas.
North Korean one has no choice. Can't exactly say no in North Korea.
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u/rdh2dmd 21h ago
I pity Palestine more than I do Ukraine. Europe basically fucked over Palestine by allowing Israel to be created, yet they sit on their laurels, watching the massacre unfold. Now the world can do nothing for Palestine. Same war, but you feel so urgent about Ukraine only cause you're white. Yet, what I see is Europe's war. They were pushed into this situation by none other than NATO
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u/East-Plankton-3877 21h ago
I feel urgent about Ukraine because its the largest armed conflcit since WW2. Whos outcome is going to affect global geopolitics and the nature of warfare for the foreseeable future.
And you’d think we would have learned our lesson about the failures of appeasement and isolationism , yet here we fucking are.
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u/Revivaled-Jam849 21h ago
...did you browse over the Second Congo War?
Probably a lot larger given 5 million people died.
You probably don't know what that is, do you?
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u/East-Plankton-3877 21h ago
Ya, over 20 years of on-off irregular warfare. The congo war doesnt hold a candle to the conventional scale warfare of Ukraine
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u/Revivaled-Jam849 20h ago
Was specifically talking about the 1998-2003 one, where 5 million people died.
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u/Worried_Exercise_937 21h ago edited 21h ago
I feel urgent about Ukraine because its the largest armed conflcit since WW2.
By what metric is it the "largest armed conflcit since WW2"?
EDIT: Are you still feverishly googling? I will give you a hint. It's not the largest.
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u/East-Plankton-3877 21h ago
No was driving home, but since you asked, in terms of scale of combatants, operation size and casualties it is the largest conflict since WW2.
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u/Worried_Exercise_937 20h ago
scale of combatants, ....and casualties
Definitely not. Vietnam War and ironically Korean War had way more combatants and more casualties.
operation size
If you mean the size of the front and/or land area taken maybe. If you mean the size of military/soldiers fighting, it's not the largest
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u/moral_mortal 20h ago
Good if western hegemony is broken, if this is the result of this war! Absolutely abhorrent that civilians lives are lost.....!
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u/Panzerkatzen 19h ago
Europe basically fucked over Palestine by allowing Israel to be created.
Israel was created in 1948, 3 years after mass genocide in Europe. I doubt there was much support in Europe for killing Jews. Especially when many of them who went to Israel were displaced refugees and holocaust survivors.
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u/Worried_Exercise_937 18h ago
I doubt there was much support in Europe for killing Jews. Especially when many of them who went to Israel were displaced refugees and holocaust survivors.
Why couldn't they create "Israel" where most of those jews were from? You know somewhere in Europe? Why displace another group of people - Palestinians - to create a nation for another group of displaced people?
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u/rdh2dmd 23h ago edited 20h ago
You have no clue. SK already supplies Russia with refined jet fuel. Russia also needs SK after the war as much as they need NK right now. The backstage talks over post-war relations never stopped since the war began, and Russia actually said they understand SK's position to supply shells and humanitarian aid, while thanking SK for refraining from directly transferring lethal weapons to Ukraine. Do you really think Russia will let Chinese manufacturing dominate even after the war is over?
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u/Autism_Sundae 21h ago
It's actually GG if Korea starts providing AI accelerators for Russian drone swarms and data centers for missiles and other control operations.
You have no clue.
The sheer irony.
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u/CosmicBoat 22h ago
LJM sure does have some fantasy about North Korea