‘We Can Invade with Military Force against American Hegemony’: Time To Confront the True Colors of Russia and North Korea

Published in Munhwa
(South Korea) on 3 March 2022
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Anukrati Mehta. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
The United Nations resolution on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine adopted at an emergency special session on March 2 will mark a significant milestone in the international situation, now being referred to as a new Cold War. Because the resolution did not come from Security Council, it will not be possible to take such measures as deploying U.N. military forces, but the resolution is by no means insignificant because the international community has overwhelmingly condemned the actions of Russia and demanded that Russia end the invasion.

The resolution reaffirmed Ukraine's commitment to its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and strongly called for an immediate cessation of Russia’s use of force. One week after the invasion of Ukraine, 141 out of 193 U.N. member states voted in favor of the resolution, having seen the invasion as a threat to the international order in place since World War II.

There is another serious aspect to this U.N. resolution that the Republic of Korea must face. Most liberal democracies, including South Korea, supported the resolution, but 35 countries, including China and India, abstained, and five were opposed. The problem is that North Korea was one of the countries voting against the resolution, along with Russia; Belarus, which is nothing less than a Russian satellite state; Eritrea, called the North Korea of Africa; and Syria, a rogue country in the Middle East.

North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song said, “The root cause of the crisis in Ukraine lies in the hegemonic policies of the United States and the West.” If you replace Russia with North Korea, you could argue that North Korea was trying to justify an immediate invasion of South Korea. Even China and Iran abstained, but North Korea was public about its claim in the U.N. General Assembly.

North Korea is calling for the abolition of hostile policies as a condition for negotiating denuclearization. These demands include the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Korea and a ban on the importation of U.S. strategic assets. Russia's demand for the demilitarization of Ukraine and that Ukraine abandon its aspirations to join NATO as a condition to satisfy its security concerns are similar to the demands that North Korea has made. Notwithstanding this stance from North Korea, President Moon Jae-in remains silent. At least our ambassador to the United Nations, Cho Hyun, said, “My country still exists today because the peoples of the United Nations at the time stood up immediately to the crisis of the innocent lives.” Now is the time for everyone to see Russia and North Korea’s true before the presidential election.


러시아의 우크라이나 침공과 관련, 유엔이 2일 긴급 특별총회에서 채택한 결의안은 신냉전으로도 불리는 국제 정세에 중대한 이정표가 될 것이다. 안전보장이사회 결의가 아닌 만큼 유엔군 파견 등의 강제 조치는 불가능하지만, 국제사회가 압도적으로 규탄하고, 원상 회복을 요구한 것은 그 의미가 결코 작지 않다. 결의안은 우크라이나의 주권과 독립, 영토 보전에 대한 약속을 재확인하고, 러시아에 대해 무력 사용을 즉각 중지할 것을 강력히 요구했다. 우크라이나 침공 일주일 만에 193개 회원국 중 141개국이 결의안에 찬성한 것은 제2차 세계대전 이후 지속된 국제질서를 파괴하는 위협이라고 봤기 때문이다.

이번 유엔 결의에는 대한민국이 직시해야 할 또 다른 엄중한 측면이 있다. 한국 등 자유민주주의 국가는 대부분 결의안에 찬성했으나 중국과 인도 등 35개국은 기권했고, 5개국은 반대했다. 문제는 반대한 나라들에 북한이 포함됐다는 것이다. 나머지 4개국은 러시아, 러시아 위성국이나 다름없는 벨라루스, 아프리카의 북한으로 불리는 에리트레아, 중동의 불량국가 시리아이다. 심지어 김성 주유엔 북한대사는 총회 연설에서 “우크라이나 위기의 근본 원인은 미국과 서방의 패권정책에 있다”면서 “안보 보장을 해달라는 러시아의 요구는 합리적이고 정당하다”고도 했다. 러시아를 북한으로 바꾸기만 하면, 곧바로 한국 침공을 합리화하는 주장도 된다. 중국과 이란조차 기권했는데, 북한은 유엔총회에서 공공연히 이런 주장을 했다.

북한은 적대시 정책 철폐를 비핵화 협상 조건으로 내세운다. 여기엔 주한미군 철수, 미 전략자산 반입 금지 등이 포함된다. 러시아가 안보 우려 해소 조건으로 우크라이나 비무장화, 나토 가입 포기를 내건 것과 북한 요구는 닮은꼴이다. 이런데도 문재인 대통령은 침묵한다. 그나마 조현 주유엔대사가 “우리나라는 유엔이 즉각 일어서준 덕분에 존재할 수 있었다”고 했을 뿐이다. 대선을 앞두고 국민 모두 이런 러시아와 북한의 본색을 제대로 봐야 할 때다.
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