How Canada’s top general views North Korean gains from Ukraine war
North Korea News Podcast by NK NewsShow Notes
NK News Correspondent Joon Ha Park joins the podcast this week to discuss his exclusive interview with Canada’s Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan on what North Korea is gaining from its military cooperation with Russia and how Canada could help South Korea prepare for emerging security threats.
Park explains why North Korean troops’ growing battlefield experience in Ukraine is raising concerns among Canada and its allies, particularly as Pyongyang gains exposure to drone warfare and electronic warfare tactics. He explains Carignan’s view on how Canada could share lessons learned from training Ukrainian forces since 2015 and expand cooperation with South Korea on drones, automated systems and military exercises.
The conversation then turns to North Korea’s cyber operations, including Carignan’s characterization of Pyongyang as effectively “at war” with multiple countries in cyberspace. Park discusses the challenges facing South Korea’s cyber defenses and why closer intelligence sharing between Ottawa and Seoul remains difficult despite recent agreements to strengthen their security partnership.
About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
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Editor’s note: This interview was recorded in July 2026. Some references to recent events and political developments reflect the situation at the time of recording and may differ from subsequent developments.
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