North Korea May Engage in Largest Military Provocation in Asia: NBC News

North Korea may resort to the largest military provocation in Asia ahead of the U.S. presidential elections, according to NBC News. “The DPRK will adopt a provocative stance in 2024. However, it is still unclear how aggressively Pyongyang is prepared to escalate the situation,” analysts note.

The publication believes that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin intends to visit North Korea soon for a meeting with Kim Jong-un to reinforce a new agreement on expanding military technology supplies to Pyongyang.

U.S. intelligence is confident that Russia is providing the DPRK with technologies for building atomic submarines and creating ballistic missiles in exchange for ammunition for the war against Ukraine. At the same time, analysts emphasize that the high-quality technical assistance to Russia is being provided in ways that are very difficult to monitor.

In the U.S., there are concerns that China may oppose the DPRK's provocations, as Beijing does not want instability in the region. “Putin may be encouraging Kim Jong-un to undertake provocation, but no final decision has been made yet,” the publication states.