Alexander Lipke

Dec 5, 2024 | ecfr.eu | Alexander Lipke |Asia Programme

Policy Alert 5 December 2024 2 minute read South Korean president Yoon Suk-Yeol plunged one of the European Union’s most important partners in east Asia into domestic political turmoil when he tried to impose martial law on Tuesday. While the move was quickly overruled by a unanimous parliamentary vote, the ensuing political chaos will hinder Seoul’s role as a key European partner. In the short term, the crisis will absorb South Korean politicians’ attention. Big foreign policy decisions,...

Nov 21, 2024 | ecfr.eu | James Crabtree |Alexander Lipke |Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp

Commentary 21 November 2024 8 minute read North Korean troops in Russia. Chinese cars on European roads. Japan’s and South Korea’s presence at NATO gatherings. India’s slow but steady turn towards the West. Europe and the Indo-Pacific are no longer neatly distinguishable political and military regions – they are strategically intertwined. In recent years, Europeans and their Asian partners have increasingly recognised the nature of the powerful interconnections linking their economies,...

Nov 5, 2024 | ecfr.eu | James Crabtree |Alexander Lipke

Commentary 5 November 2024 3 minute read Seven thousand kilometres from home, around 10,000 North Korean soldiers are lined up along Russia’s border with Ukraine, preparing to fight on the frontlines of its war. Some units entering Russia’s Kursk region and already coming under Ukrainian fire. Despite the distance, North Korea’s support for Russia’s war is reaching new strengths. Even if the immediate military impact could be limited, Europeans must prepare for an expanding military...

Oct 21, 2024 | ecfr.eu | Alexander Lipke |Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp

Japan’s new prime minister Ishiba Shigeru, who took office in early October, has inherited unusually positive relations with South Korea. Known for his defence expertise, Ishiba has signalled his intent to maintain many of the policies of his predecessor Kishida Fumio in improving relations with Seoul, particularly in the security realm, both bilaterally and through cooperation with the United States.

Sep 27, 2024 | ecfr.eu | James Crabtree |Alexander Lipke |Asia Programme

Which nation is Russia’s most significant military partner in its war with Ukraine? Speaking at a conference in Kyiv in September, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov gave a clear, if perhaps unexpected, answer: North Korea. Or, as Budanov put it: “North Korea would be first. Then there is no one for a long time, and then everyone else.” The scale of North Korean aid to Russia remains striking.