North Korea’s apparent deployment of troops to assist Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has forced South Korea to carefully weigh its own response, including the possibility of sending arms to Kyiv.

And as it does so, Seoul would do well to remember its own experience sending troops to foreign conflicts to understand the dynamics at play — and the real risk that DPRK boots on the ground in Eastern Europe could fuel military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

While it remains unclear exactly how Pyongyang will benefit, many expect it to reap economic rewards or military-technical cooperation from Moscow