Chuck Holton
Politics • Culture • News
Chuck Holton is an American war correspondent, published author, and motivational speaker.
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North Korea, Russia, and the World Stage: What’s Really Happening?

Geopolitical tensions have a way of sneaking under our radar, but the game that’s being played between Russia and North Korea could have far-reaching consequences. Right now, these two countries are in cahoots, but it’s not all about simple alliances. Let’s break down the dynamics that are shaping the future and why this relationship could be a major game-changer.

North Korea’s Deal with Russia: The Hidden Agenda

What’s Russia’s strategy in all this? Well, let’s look at their recent collaboration with North Korea. While the mainstream media might focus on troop movements and flashy headlines, there’s something deeper at play here. Russia is giving Kim Jong-un the green light to stir the pot on the Korean Peninsula, especially as the world remains distracted by the chaos in Ukraine.
But here’s where it gets interesting. North Korea isn’t just looking for weapons or military support. What if they’re sending troops to Russia for a bigger reason? Let’s say, 10,000 soldiers on one condition: don’t send them back. The North Korean regime thrives on control, manipulation, and a constant narrative of fear and ignorance about the outside world. If those soldiers made it back to North Korea, they’d bring with them the truth about how the world works — and that could shake up the regime’s grip on power.

What Would Happen If North Korea Invaded South Korea?

We’ve all heard the stories about a North Korean invasion of the South. It’s a long-standing concern for global security. But let’s consider the reality of what would happen if those North Korean soldiers flooded into South Korea. What would they see?
The stark contrast would be mind-blowing. North Koreans are taught that the South is an apocalyptic wasteland, a living hell where nobody is free. They believe that everyone in South Korea is living in squalor, living under constant oppression, and struggling to survive. But when they crossed the border into the South, they would be shocked. South Korea is thriving — modern, clean, safe, and, dare I say, absolutely beautiful. It’s a country that has flourished and is completely unrecognizable to those who’ve been told lies for generations.
For a regime that survives on misinformation, an invasion could be catastrophic for North Korea’s narrative. Soldiers who encounter South Korea's progress might choose not to return.
They could lay down their arms and embrace a new way of life — and that’s a dangerous thought for Kim Jong-un.

Why North Korea Won’t Likely Invade the South... Yet

Don’t get too worked up about the prospect of a full-scale North Korean invasion of South Korea. While tensions have escalated, it’s not as likely as you might think — and here's why.
For one, there are 20,000 to 30,000 American troops stationed just south of the border. That’s a deterrent that North Korea can’t ignore. But more importantly, the regime is well aware that invading the South could lead to the collapse of their own state. Imagine if Kim Jong-un decided to send 100,000 of his young men into South Korea. They might come back as South Koreans, never to return to the North. The regime would lose not just its military strength but its entire base of power. North Korea thrives on ignorance. Without that, they have nothing.
So while Russia is trying to encourage this conflict, it’s not as easy as it seems. For now, North Korea remains tethered to its own internal propaganda, and any move against South Korea could mean the end of everything the regime holds dear.

Russia’s Bigger Agenda: Creating Chaos Around the World

Let’s zoom out a bit. Russia’s meddling goes beyond North Korea. Ever since the war in Ukraine began, Russia has been stirring up trouble across the globe. From Israel to Armenia, from Venezuela to Guyana, Russia is pulling strings, trying to destabilize regions that could pose a threat to its interests.
And here’s the kicker — Russia’s ultimate goal isn’t just to be a bully on the world stage. It’s about creating distractions. Look at the bigger picture: the Middle East is volatile, China is eyeing Taiwan, and tensions in Europe are sky-high. Russia is fueling this chaos so that the world’s attention is split, making it easier for them to maneuver. If the US, NATO, and the rest of the West are too busy dealing with crises elsewhere, Russia can move freely.
But not all of these moves will play out the way Russia hopes. As these global games unfold, one thing is clear: the world is getting more unpredictable by the day, and understanding the connections between Russia, North Korea, and the rest of the world could be the key to staying ahead of the game.

What’s Next for North Korea, Russia, and the World?

As we look ahead, it’s clear that the situation in North Korea and Russia is far from simple. The two countries may seem like unlikely partners, but their shared interests make for a potent, albeit dangerous, alliance.
But what can we expect next? Will Kim Jong-un be emboldened by Russia’s backing? Could North Korea attempt to cross the line and invade South Korea? And what role will China play in all of this, especially with its eyes set on Taiwan?
One thing’s for sure: global geopolitics is more interconnected than ever, and it’s a game that we all have to watch closely. Keep your eyes on these developments because the ripples they cause could have far-reaching effects, not just in Asia, but around the world.

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Update From Croatia

From yesterday*

I appreciate all of you supporting the hot zone. Thank you for being here.

How do you think this is all going to end?

00:03:39
Ukraine Safeguarding its Troops with Technology

If you have wondered why Russia is losing so many men and Ukraine is not, this will help explain it. Russia is sending men into the front lines where they are killed by drone operators from Ukraine who are hundreds of miles away from the front lines.

00:02:17
Live Call Recording: April 25, 2026

Thank you all for joining us this month on our Live call. I love getting to see your faces and have real conversations with you all.

What was your favorite moment or topic from this call?

01:25:31
Episode 622 - Field Producer Dennis Azato and Chuck Reminisce

My erstwhile field producer and cameraman Dennis Azato has accompanied me on ten years of adventures across the globe. Today he joins me in Ukraine and we spend some time remembering our many trips together.

Episode 622 - Field Producer Dennis Azato and Chuck Reminisce

According to Jesus, it's the intent of our hearts behind our good deeds that determines whether the Father will reward us. It’s humbling to think that if we practice righteousness for the glory of Him, instead of hypocritically, to be seen by men, we will be rewarded (Matthew 6:1). If we give to those in need secretly, seeking no praise from others, we will be rewarded (Matthew 6:2-4). If we pray to the Father out of sincere, loving devotion, and not to receive human admiration, we will be rewarded (Matthew 6:5-6). If we fast for the sake of God's kingdom, and not for the attention of people, we will be rewarded (Matthew 6:16-18). Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals to us how we can store up our riches in Heaven, “where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-21).

July 06, 2026

Hey there are there any Hotzonians who were joining Chuck’s Lives back in 2023? This is a bit of an obscure and silly question. I was watching the ‘Iran Tried to Destroy Israel. It backfired.’ Live from 3 days ago when Chuck was showing some of his early reporting footage after Oct. 7.
Does anyone remember the cheese flavoured soda and what brand? I think it was savoury cheese not cheesecake flavour! I believe at the time he was staying at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, doing a Live on the balcony. He did not like the drink at all but it stayed in my mind ever since! And his obsession with ‘the beeper guy’ in his van, in the carpark down below. It really made me laugh. That quirky sense of humour is priceless, no other war correspondents I’ve heard talk about obsure things like that!

It’s been 1000 days since the war began. Who would have thought much of the world would go so nuts over the tiny nation of Israel just trying to exist and defend itself. I just want to...

"For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: 'This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it'" (Psalm 132:13–14).

There will be many cities, both in Christ's earthly kingdom and in the new and eternal state of God, but there will always be one city of the Living God: the city of Jerusalem, or the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2).

Likewise, there is only one chosen and treasured people—one royal nation of priests and kings—who will have the privilege of living with God in Zion (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 5:10).

They are God's covenantal people of all generations! For we, as Christians, are now saints by the blood of Christ and are part of God's household alongside the Patriarchs (Ephesians 2:19); therefore, Jerusalem will also be our home forever and ever (Revelation 21:3).

However, the kings of other nations and peoples will have to travel to Mount Zion and enter the gates of Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3) in order to worship and...

Hamas Says It's Giving Up Power. Here's Why Israel Isn't Convinced.

When Hamas announced this week that it would dissolve the civilian body responsible for governing Gaza, the news was quickly portrayed as a major step toward peace. After nearly two decades of controlling the territory, the terrorist organization appeared to be relinquishing authority, leading many observers to wonder whether the war had finally reached a genuine turning point.

That interpretation, however, overlooks one critical fact: Hamas is giving up the responsibility of governing Gaza, but it is not giving up the military power that allowed it to seize and hold the territory in the first place.

The organization has announced that it will dissolve the Government Emergency Committee, the administrative body that has overseen civilian affairs since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. Under the current proposal, those responsibilities would be transferred to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a group composed primarily of Palestinian technocrats who are not formally affiliated with Hamas. While that may sound like meaningful political reform, it does little to address the central issue that continues to drive the conflict.

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Raising Men, Not Muffins
A call to make your sons miserable.

Hey, it's a free country. They're your kids, so you can ruin them however you want.

But the rest of us have to live with them too. And we're frustrated by what we see: weak, pasty little boys, some of whom are still that way long past the date they start shaving. They've learned well what you've taught them — to be careful. To avoid risk. To sit quietly on the couch like a cute little toy poodle and stay far away from anything that makes them uncomfortable.

Just play your video game and don't make too much noise, kid. That's a good boy.

Never mind that boy will someday need to provide for himself and others. Never mind that the world won't be as sensitive to his fears and preferences as you have been.

Never mind that somewhere, outside the safe little cocoon of comfort you've built in your air-conditioned, HEPA-filtered home, there are boys who sleep in the dirt every night, go days without eating, and do hard manual labor in the harshest conditions — and for them, it's not even hardship. It's just life. And those boys are being taught to despise everything America stands for.

They're being taught we're decadent. They're right.

They're being taught we're immoral. And we are.

They know we're raising weak sons and promiscuous daughters. And they fully intend to one day destroy our culture and replace it with their own.

This is not a hypothetical. I've seen these young men, from Syria to Afghanistan to North Africa. They don't love America. They desire her. And they'll come and ravage her if we let them.

Like it or not, our sons may one day have to go toe to toe with those hardscrabble boys who grew up with nothing. When that day comes, will your pudgy, pasty-faced little prince win that fight?

Not every boy will grow up to be a warrior. But some boys must. It's essential that America turns out enough hard men to defend our way of life. Your safe, comfortable, Netflix-and-chardonnay existence depends on it.

Old warriors like me are getting used up. We're getting too broken to hold the line forever. We need more young men who are tough, capable, and morally straight. Is your boy one of those — or is he too busy with Minecraft and manga to become the man America needs him to be? Let me be very frank: raised the way most boys are raised today, he'll be a liability.

Boys were made for manhood. Men are meant to protect, provide, and fiercely love those under their care. It's a tough job. Whether or not he ever meets America's enemies, as I have, on the field of battle, he'll still need to be tough. The job of father, husband, and provider demands a mental — and sometimes physical — toughness your son may never acquire if you don't take him off the Cheeto diet and make him uncomfortable.

The Constructive Application of Misery

Good parenting comes down to this: the constructive application of misery in a young man's life to produce character. If you think the job is to keep your son far from anything dangerous, keep him comfy, and make sure he has plenty of fun, you're part of the problem.

Give a young man controlled doses of stress. Let him operate without a net once in a while. Let him learn to be afraid — then teach him he can face that fear and conquer it. Give him purposeful work. Give him discipline, and plenty of it. Don't let him set the agenda. Somebody has to prepare him to lead.

The problem is, most fathers know this in their gut and still don't have the tools, the time, or the tribe to pull it off alone. A boy needs more than one good man in his corner. He needs a place built to forge him.

That's what we're building. And that's where you come in.

A Permanent Home for the Forge

The Frontier Forge Institute exists to do one thing: turn out good men. Men of faith, capable with their hands, useful in a crisis, and grounded in something bigger than themselves. We've proven the model in the field. Now we have a chance to give it a permanent home — and to scale it from a week into a full year.

The Eisenhower building

There's a building in Mount Hope, West Virginia called the Eisenhower Building — the former U.S. Mine Safety and Health Academy. The federal government put it up in 1958 to train the nation's mine-safety instructors, and they built it to a standard nobody can afford to build to today: block and brick, room after room, made to house and teach hundreds of students at a time.

It's 34,000 square feet. 64 classrooms. A cavernous garage that's practically begging to become a working trades shop. It sits right next to a disused football stadium that makes a ready-made PT field, and it's minutes from the Summit Bechtel Reserve, where the Boy Scouts bring tens of thousands of young people every year. It was practically built for what God has put on our hearts to do.

It listed at $690,000 two years ago. We can acquire it today for under $300,000. That window will not stay open forever.

What It Becomes

Once we own it, that building becomes the Appalachian Leadership & Training Academy — a one-year residential program for motivated young men straight out of high school, modeled on proven academies like the International ALERT Academy in Big Sandy, Texas.

A young man arrives the fall after graduation and spends twelve months living, working, worshiping, and training alongside mentors of proven character. He leaves with three things:

Godly wisdom. A full year immersed in Scripture, discipleship, and the daily habits of a man of character. That's the foundation. Everything else is built on it.

First-responder skills. Real, certifiable training in emergency medicine, rescue, and readiness — so he can run toward trouble and serve his neighbors instead of filming it.

A marketable trade. Hands-on mastery of a skill — electrical, plumbing, welding, HVAC, automotive — so he walks out with a livelihood in his hands and can support a family for life.

Faith deepened. Body hardened. A certification and a trade. That's the kind of man this country is starving for, and this building is where we'll forge him.

This Is Where You Come In

The goal was never a building. The goal is to build men. But the building is where it begins — we have to own the property before any of the rest of it can happen. Every gift moves us closer to the deed, and to the first young man who walks through those doors.

Our goal is $350,000 to acquire the campus and open the doors. We've already got the first $50,000 in hand. We need people who understand what's at stake to help us cover the rest — now, while the price is low and the door is open.

The Frontier Forge Institute is a program of the James Megellas Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3). Your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

See the building, the plan, and how to give here: frontierforge.org/vision

You can keep raising muffins if you want. We are going to forge men. Come help.

 

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." — 1 Corinthians 16:13

 

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The goal is not a building. The goal is to build men.

Friend,

I want to share something we're praying and working hard toward.

In Mount Hope, West Virginia stands the Eisenhower Building — the former U.S. Mine Academy. The federal government built it in 1958 and spent decades maintaining it: 34,000 square feet, 64 classrooms, a cavernous garage, and a football stadium right next door that would make a ready-made training field. Today it sits empty.

We intend to change that.

Our vision is to turn this building into the Appalachian Leadership & Training Academy — a one-year residential academy for young men straight out of high school. A place that forms them in three things at once: godly wisdom, first-responder skills, and a marketable trade — electrical, plumbing, welding, HVAC, automotive. A young man would arrive the fall after graduation and leave twelve months later with his faith deepened, his body and character tested, a first-responder certification, and a skilled trade that can support a family for life.

Here's the opportunity: the building was listed at $690,000 two years ago. Because the seller is motivated, we can acquire it today for under $300,000. But we have to own it before any of the rest can happen — and that's where you come in.

We've already raised $20,000 toward our $350,000 Building Fund goal. Every gift moves us closer to the deed, and to the first young man who walks through those doors.

🔗 See the full vision and give here: https://www.frontierforge.org/vision

The goal is not a building. The goal is to build men. Would you help us build it?

Gratefully,

Chuck Holton

Founder, Frontier Forge Institute

Frontier Forge Institute is a program of the James Megellas Foundation, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 27-3047777). Your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

 

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