- South Korea's protest to Russia over North Korean troops is unlikely to affect military cooperation.
- North Korean soldiers are expected to soon be deployed to the Ukraine front lines.
- North Korea has supplied Russia with over 13,000 containers of weapons since last August.
About 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers have arrived in Russia and are acclimatizing before potentially heading to the front lines, according to South Korea’s spy agency. This marks Pyongyang’s first overseas troop deployment. South Korea has expressed alarm over this development, particularly following the military agreement signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, amidst ongoing claims that North Korea is supplying weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.
In response to the troop deployment, South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun conveyed serious concerns to Russian Ambassador Georgiy Zinoviev, urging the “immediate withdrawal” of North Korean forces. He emphasized that this move represents a significant security threat not only to South Korea but to the international community as a whole. The South Korean spy agency also released satellite images confirming the arrival of the elite “Storm Corps” in Vladivostok via Russian military vessels.
Both North Korea and Russia face extensive UN sanctions—North Korea due to its weapons programs and Russia because of its actions in Ukraine. Kim Hong-kyun indicated that the military collaboration between the two nations is in violation of Security Council resolutions, raising further alarms regarding regional security dynamics.
In the aftermath of these developments, the Russian embassy stated that Ambassador Zinoviev highlighted that the cooperation between Russia and North Korea is not intended to undermine South Korea’s security. Meanwhile, NATO’s chief, Mark Rutte, remarked that the deployment of North Korean troops would represent a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, although NATO has not yet verified the troop movements.
South Korea’s protest to Russia regarding its military cooperation with North Korea is unlikely to have any effect, according to Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Korean Peninsula strategy at the Sejong Institute. He indicated that in exchange for sending troops to assist Russia in Ukraine, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un aims to acquire advanced military technologies, including surveillance satellites and submarines. The presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia suggests that they will soon be deployed to the front lines in Ukraine, although their actual impact on the ongoing conflict remains uncertain.
According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), the North transported its special forces to Russia via a Russian Navy transport ship between October 8 and 13, marking the beginning of North Korea’s military involvement in the war. The special forces, now stationed at Russian bases in the Far East, are expected to be deployed to the front lines once they complete acclimatization training. This deployment underscores the increasing military collaboration between North Korea and Russia amid the ongoing war.
The NIS also revealed that North Korea has supplied Russia with over 13,000 containers filled with artillery shells, missiles, anti-tank rockets, and other lethal weapons since last August. This extensive support highlights the growing alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow, which has strengthened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The long-standing relationship between the two countries dates back to the founding of North Korea after World War II, further cementing their military ties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently pointed to intelligence reports suggesting that North Korea is training around 10,000 soldiers to bolster Russia’s efforts against Ukraine. This reliance on North Korean military support comes as Russia seeks to replenish its forces amid substantial losses on the battlefield. Reports from Ukrainian media indicated that six North Korean military officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk, a claim that South Korea’s defense minister deemed “highly likely” to be accurate.
Despite being one of the world’s top ten weapons exporters, South Korea has resisted calls from allies, including the United States, to supply weapons to Ukraine. The country cites longstanding domestic policies that prohibit the sale of arms to active conflict zones. However, South Korea has sold billions of dollars in military equipment, including tanks and artillery, to Poland, which remains a key ally of Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda is set to visit Seoul this week, highlighting the ongoing defense collaboration between the two nations.
