North Korea may send members of its regular armed forces to Ukraine to support Russia in the ongoing war, according to South Korea’s Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
Kim made these remarks during a parliamentary audit session on Tuesday, drawing attention to the deepening alliance between North Korea and Russia. This partnership was formalised earlier this year when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bilateral agreement that includes a mutual defence clause.
Kim Yong-hyun’s comments highlight the military alliance between the two states, which now seems to extend beyond diplomatic gestures.
“As Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual treaty akin to a military alliance, the possibility of such a deployment is highly likely,” the defence minister told South Korean lawmakers.
The June agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow has also prompted speculations about the nature of military support North Korea may offer to Russia, aside from conventional arms supplies.
Although details of the mutual defence clause have not been fully disclosed, the pact’s existence suggests that North Korea may feel obligated to assist Russia in its military endeavours, including in Ukraine.
Reports of North Korean Casualties in Ukraine
Kim’s comments come in the wake of reports suggesting that North Korean troops may have already been involved in the conflict. Last week, the Kyiv Post reported that six North Korean officers were killed and three others wounded in a Ukrainian missile strike on 3 October near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, a region currently under Russian control. The Ukrainian media outlet cited intelligence sources to support these claims, although independent verification of these reports has not been confirmed.
The South Korean defence chief indicated that the report of North Korean casualties was “likely to be true,” adding further credibility to the claim that North Korean forces may have entered the battlefield. However, the exact role of North Korean soldiers in the conflict remains unclear, as both North Korea and Russia have yet to officially acknowledge any troop presence.
A Broader Dynamic
The involvement of North Korean forces in Ukraine, if confirmed, would mark a significant escalation in the war. It would also indicate that Russia, facing manpower shortages and increasing pressure from Ukraine’s Western allies, is willing to turn to unconventional allies for assistance. North Korea’s potential deployment of troops could provide additional resources to Russia at a time when its military operations in Ukraine are facing significant challenges.
From Pyongyang’s perspective, supporting Russia could strengthen its geopolitical standing and secure valuable political and economic backing from Moscow. North Korea has long been isolated on the international stage, particularly due to its nuclear programme and human rights record. Aligning itself with Russia in this manner could help to mitigate some of the international sanctions and diplomatic isolation the country faces.
Russia, for its part, could benefit from North Korea’s military expertise and manpower, particularly as it grapples with a drawn-out conflict in Ukraine. While the effectiveness of North Korean troops in such a complex theatre of war is yet to be seen, their involvement could symbolically bolster Russia’s claim of international support for its actions in Ukraine.
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