Why did Putin admit Soviet Union's secret role in Korean War now?

Russia's entry into East Asia power game tests leaders of Seoul, Tokyo in 2024

20231225 Kazamidori

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol face domestic political concerns heading into 2024 while Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, looks to expand Moscow's influence in East Asia. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP, Reuters and ACME/Kyodo)

YOSUKE ONCHI, Nikkei political news editor

TOKYO -- A letter has attracted attention from geopolitical experts on the Korean Peninsula, a congratulatory message sent in July by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

In that letter, the Russian president for the first time officially acknowledged that the Soviet Union secretly "participated" in the Korean War.

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