North Korea warns U.S. over Taiwan while Kim pledges support for Russia — SkimNews
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- North Korea criticized U.S. arms sales and military support for Taiwan via KCNA on October 7, 2026, accusing Washington of "fuelling tensions" in the Taiwan Strait
- Kim Myong Chol, a North Korean international affairs analyst, warned the U.S. should "think twice" about "frontal confrontation with the powerful national power of the People's Republic of China" over Taiwan's security
- Taiwan received the first two of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets ordered in 2019, arriving last week as Beijing intensifies military pressure on the self-governed island
- Kim Jong Un sent Putin a birthday message pledging to "continue to expand joint work" under the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership and backing Russia's "sacred war of justice"
- Kim's birthday letter did not explicitly mention Russia's war in Ukraine, though North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Moscow's war effort since 2024
- North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defense pact in June 2024 that has sharply deepened bilateral ties, framing the Kim-Putin correspondence within an institutionalized alliance
Why it matters: Pyongyang is publicly positioning itself on two geopolitical fault lines at once — telling Washington to back off Taiwan while reaffirming troop-backed support for Moscow. With an estimated 14,000–15,000 North Korean troops already fighting for Russia and 66 F-16Vs en route to Taipei, the rhetoric coincides with concrete military deployments that tighten both alliances against U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.
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