North Korean soldiers in Russia, a special retreat for Indonesia's ministers and why Mark Zuckerberg is getting richer
October 2024
Hello and welcome!👋
Apologies for missing the September edition - it was an unusually hectic end to summer. But Deep Dive is back in your inbox as we head into a rollercoaster US election!
KIM-PUTIN ALLIANCE
War can make strange bedfellows is a lesson the international community continues to learn after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin are deepening their relationship, with North Korea dispatching thousands of troops to Russia to train for combat, according to the US and South Korea.
While Pyongyang has already provided Moscow with weapons, the deployment of soldiers would signal a “significant escalation” in the conflict. The question is - will Kim allow these troops to be sent to a European battlefield? Kyiv and Washington claim some are now stationed in Russia’s Kursk region, near the border with Ukraine.
Analysts say the seeds for this development were sown in June. That’s when Kim and Putin agreed on a defence pact, which included a clause requiring the countries to come to each other’s aid if either is attacked. Given their geographic positions, the implications of the treaty are worrying for Western powers as well as governments in Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo.
GOVERNMENT BOOT CAMP
Team building exercises can take many forms - volunteer work, cooking classes, trips abroad, you name it. But for Indonesia’s new leader, a military retreat seemed like the best way to unite his cabinet members.
President Prabowo organised and attended a three-day camp in Java province with dozens of ministers. The group sported camouflage uniforms and combat boots while participating in government briefings and morning drills.
Prabowo, a former Indonesian army general, told his cabinet the aim was to encourage discipline and loyalty to the nation. Fighting corruption is another priority of his administration. This report by Singapore’s CNA has the details.
TECH TYCOON
Mark Zuckerberg is one of the richest people on the planet. As Meta’s share price surges, so too does his personal fortune.
At the end of October, Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index put Zuckerberg in third place, with an estimated net worth of US$201 billion. Elon Musk tops the rankings and Jeff Bezos is second.
Despite initial scepticism over Zuckerberg’s fixation on the metaverse, investors have changed their tune and recently began pouring cash into Meta stock. So far, the numbers look positive: Meta’s advertising revenues are on the up and the volume of daily active users is growing.
The Silicon Valley behemoth is still betting big on AI, data centres and augmented reality. Zuckerberg appears determined to shift the company from social media platform (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) to future tech innovator.
Thanks for reading! Take care and stay curious, Sara xx