Mutual defense pact between North Korea and Russia raises new questions, but it’s far from unique

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A new mutual-defense pact signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un commits each country to come to the other’s aid if attacked. Just what the threshold for such assistance would be is currently unclear — maybe deliberately so, to deter other countries from putting it to the test. Such pacts are not uncommon and are rarely invoked, while often being touted as a means of deterring aggression, though the agreement between the two unpredictable and autocratic leaders of nuclear nations immediately raised concerns globally.