US Official-NK Threat Could Change Due To Co-op w/Russia

Wires carrying comments from a US official claiming that the, "nature of North Korea as a threat could drastically change over coming decade as a result of cooperation with Russia". The US and its allies have alleged for some time that Pyongyang has been supplying weapons to Russia for use in its invasion of Ukraine. Much focus has been on the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war and wider Middle East instability, and cross-Strait tensions, but recent actions by North Korea could further ramp up regional and global geopolitical risks.

• WSJ published an article regarding the impact of providing arms to Russia on Pyongyang's weapons development. "Despite a barrage of test launches, North Korea hasn’t been able to gauge how its new generation of short-range ballistic missiles performs on the battlefield [...] until now. The high-profile battlefield exposure is likely to afford the regime of leader Kim Jong Un new proliferation opportunities...."
• The battlefield testing of North Korean missiles may not only enhance North Korea's prospects of exporting its weaponry, but also of improving its performance. This in turn will raise concerns in South Korea, Japan, and the United States about the effectiveness of North Korean arms in the event of a conflagration.
• Kim's declaration on 16 Jan that unification with the South is no longer possible, and that the country should be enshrined in the constitution as the "principal enemy". The statement marks a major shift in North Korea's policy towards the South, taking it in a more belligerent direction.