International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

South Korea's Conservatives Are Trying to Cling to Power

Kap Seol — 2025-01-21T19:30:52Z

South Korea's right-wing president, Yoon Suk-yeol, has finally been arrested after his attempt to stage a coup. But Yoon's supporters are still mobilizing aggressively, hoping that Donald Trump will take their side over false claims of electoral fraud.

- IVP600 - January 2025 / United States (USA), South Korea, China, North Korea

Putin's new weapon

Catherine Samary — 2024-12-07T20:07:19Z

On Thursday 21 November, Russian president Vladimir Putin ‘unveiled' a new weapon in his arsenal by ordering the launch of the hypersonic ‘Oreshnik' (hazelnut) intermediate-range missile. Was this a successful ‘test' or a demonstration of the impasse in his ‘special military operation'?

- IV599 - December 2024 / United States (USA), Russia, Ukraine, North Korea

After President Yoon's failed self-coup

Youngsu Won — 2024-12-06T17:45:07Z

President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law has sparked outrage in the streets and concern among South Korea's international allies.

- IV599 - December 2024 / South Korea, North Korea

Ukraine: resistance on two fronts

Jacques Babel — 2024-11-10T08:20:59Z

Under pressure from Putin, the Russian military forces are using their superiority in terms of men and bombing resources to very slowly but surely gobble up territory and destroy Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. Now, after massive deliveries of bombs, missiles and drones from North Korea and Iran, it has been announced that several thousand North Korean soldiers will be arriving to fight as reinforcements for the Russian army. Meanwhile, some on the left are still indignant about the delivery of arms to the Ukrainians by Western states, even though these are clearly insufficient to enable them to put up effective resistance to the Putin steamroller and reverse the balance of power.

- IV598 - November 2024 / Ukraine, North Korea

North and South Korea at a turning point after 70 years

Karen Yamanaka — 2024-01-29T22:44:01Z

“The situation on the Korean Peninsula has become more tense recently, with North Korea still conducting a series of missile tests from late last year into this year.”

- IV588 - January 2024 / South Korea, North Korea

Fruitless "joint struggle" between nuclear states

Karen Yamanaka — 2023-10-10T06:59:27Z

On 13 September, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un met at the Russian launch base at the Vostotchny cosmodrome. The meeting was organized at Putin's insistence. Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia is aimed at strengthening military and security cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

- IV585 - October 2023 / Russia, North Korea

North Korea's chronic food shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic

Karen Yamanaka — 2023-08-29T08:46:21Z

The North Korean regime has faced a severely deteriorated economic situation due to international sanctions, floods, and the Covid-19 pandemic. In January 2020, the country blocked cross-border trade and expelled humanitarian workers and foreign diplomats facing the danger of the Covid-19 pandemic. The closure of the country delayed the arrival of the pandemic. However, as early as March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a Covid-19 epidemic was developing in North Korea. Its strategy of sealing its external borders in January 2020 prevented essential supplies from entering the country, leading to food shortages and a faltering economy.

- IV583 - August 2023 / North Korea, Covid-19 Pandemic

Revenge politics to raise the ghost of the elite pro-nuclear consensus

Karen Yamanaka — 2023-02-20T22:26:34Z

“Regardless of the energy output the nuclear tests, heightened and intensified regional tensions in this area will endanger geopolitical stability which may trigger unexpected nuclear weapons also in other parts of the world.”

- IV577 - February 2023 / South Korea, North Korea

The geopolitics of crisis

Pierre Rousset — 2022-12-11T06:16:13Z

“The Korean crisis contributes to the general dynamic of militarization underway on the Eurasian continent and in the Indo-Pacific, with its attendant humanitarian disasters, from Ukraine to Burma, as it contributes to the acceleration of global warming that has spiralled out of control.”

- IV575 - December 2022 / South Korea, Japan, North Korea

Geopolitical Instability Which May Cause Unexpected and Worldwide Nuclear Weapons Accidents

Karen Yamanaka — 2022-11-11T22:50:42Z

“Regardless of the energy output the nuclear tests, heightened and intensified regional tensions will endanger geopolitical stability which may trigger unexpected nuclear weapons not only in the Asia-Pacific region but in other parts of the world. ”

- IV574 - November 2022 / Japan, China, North Korea