**International Crisis Group Report ‘Warning’**
“Russian Troop Deployment and Martial Law as Factors”
The International Crisis Group (ICG), a think tank specializing in international conflicts, has included the Korean Peninsula in its list of “10 Conflict Areas to Watch in the New Year.” Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the ICG released a report on the 1st (local time), stating, “In a very fluid situation, the Korean Peninsula is entering 2025 with high tension,” highlighting North Korean troop deployment to Russia as a key factor for this selection.
The ICG assessed that “North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s deployment of elite forces in the Russian Kursk region links the military balance on the Korean Peninsula with Vladimir Putin’s war against Europe.” The report expressed concern about potential “upheaval” on the Korean Peninsula due to the declaration of martial law in South Korea and the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Amid this, Chairman Kim has been absent for the second consecutive year from the New Year’s Day visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il are enshrined, marking a move towards ‘independence.’
On the 2nd, the Korean Central News Agency reported that top officials from the Workers’ Party, including members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee, along with officials from the government and military, visited the Kumsusan Palace for the New Year’s tribute the previous day. The report did not mention Chairman Kim’s attendance, suggesting his absence.
[Reporters Lee Jae-cheol / Kim Sung-hoon]