A king, more than anyone, must be insatiably greedy, laugh heartily, and rage fiercely. A king embodies the extremes of human nature, both pure and impure.

 King of the Mountains, if you take up the sword driven by hatred and resentment, your country will be engulfed in a vortex of curses and perish. As a king, you should take up the sword to pave the way for the lives of the people."

"The elimination of all borders! If it can't be done, I'll do it by force. Just like the warring states era."

"Isn't that the exact opposite of a path for the lives of the people?"

"No. If the turmoil has continued for the past five hundred years, it may continue for another five hundred years. I take up the sword to eliminate the sacrifices of the next five hundred years of turmoil."

"The throne is just the first step on my path. I will be the first king to unify China. I came to see the King of the Mountains to gain his cooperation."

This is a conversation between Zheng (later Qin Shi Huang) and the King of the Mountains in the manga 'Kingdom'.

Talking about the characters in 'Kingdom' ~ King Zheng, who left many famous quotes ~ - If it's about Kingdom, ask Yutokatsu.

On June 19th, President Putin (hereafter Putin) visited North Korea and met with Secretary General Kim.

It is a well-known fact that the two countries have a cooperative relationship, and Putin's visit to North Korea was within expectations, but something the world could not have predicted happened.

In Article 4 of the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and North Korea," military support was explicitly stated.

★ If either party is subjected to armed invasion and enters a state of war, they will provide military and other assistance with all available means without delay.

Putin: "It's nothing new."

Kim: "It has risen to a high level of alliance."

There is a significant temperature difference in the views on military support between the two leaders. North Korea was desperate to obtain military support from Russia, while Russia, if possible, did not want to agree to military support with North Korea.

…Fortunes rise and fall.

Near the northern border of China, close to a "fortress," there lived an "old man" skilled in fortune-telling. Once, his horse ran away, and everyone sympathized with him, but he said, "This is a sign that good fortune is coming." And indeed, the runaway horse returned with a splendid horse. When everyone congratulated him, he said, "This is a sign of misfortune." Indeed, shortly after, his son fell from that horse and broke his leg. When everyone sympathized with him again, his response was, "This is a prelude to good fortune." Thanks to the injury, his son was spared from going to war.

The future is unpredictable; happiness can turn into misfortune, and misfortune can turn into happiness. Therefore, one should not be swayed by events.

Watching political movements, no, even our lives, I deeply feel that "Fortunes rise and fall."

Which country was the happiest, or rather, benefited the most when Russia started the war in Ukraine?

Which country was the happiest, or rather, benefited the most when relations between China and the United States became strained?

It is North Korea, which was isolated from the world until a few years ago.

1961 "Soviet-North Korean Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance"

This included military support between the two countries, but it expired in 1996 due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and Russia's approach to South Korea.

2000 "Russia-North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation"

This did not include military support.

2024 "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and North Korea"

On June 19th, military support was included again between the two countries.

Russia provides technology to North Korea. North Korea provides weapons to Russia.

The United States has announced a statement allowing the use of its weapons without regional restrictions. This has weakened the effectiveness of Russia's nuclear threat strategy. Russia needed to make its next move.

That move was approaching North Korea, which the United States dislikes. And this strategy is not just a matter for Russia and North Korea alone. The real target of Russia and North Korea is the support from China, which the United States hates the most.

"It is a bilateral issue, and we refrain from commenting." This is the comment from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As usual, Putin was late, and his stay in North Korea was less than 24 hours. Furthermore, he immediately flew to Vietnam afterward, showing that Russia does not regard North Korea as equal to China.

North Korea, which currently relies on China for 97% of its economy, also shows an attitude that China is not its only ally, trying to leverage its relationship with China to its advantage.

North Korea does not have ambitions to influence the world; it just wants to continue its independent route. However, to maintain that independent route, it needs to show the world that it is willing to use nuclear weapons and assassinations.

Moreover, if North Korea turns against the world, it only needs one of China or Russia to exercise their "veto power" in the UN Security Council.

North Korea stepped down from the world stage a long time ago. Russia also stepped down from the world stage by starting the war.

However, China is fighting the United States in the world game.

For this reason, China's real intention is to avoid getting too close to Russia and North Korea, even though it allies with them against the United States. China has refused Russia's invitation to conduct simultaneous military exercises with Russia and North Korea. China wants to keep North Korea on a tight leash to prevent it from going rogue.

Each country's intentions are moving in the complex global situation. Whether it's appropriate to call it interesting, I don't know, but analyzing it from various backgrounds such as history, economics, and psychology makes it fascinating and very educational.