South Korea’s military has raised concerns over North Korea’s potential plans to send more troops to Russia to support its ongoing war against Ukraine, despite facing significant casualties and prisoner-of-war situations.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated on Friday that North Korea appears to be “accelerating follow-up measures and preparation for an additional dispatch of troops” as the conflict persists. The statement comes four months after North Korea initially deployed soldiers to assist Russian forces, a move that reportedly resulted in multiple losses and captives.
While the JCS did not provide specifics on what other actions Pyongyang might undertake, they noted ongoing preparations for launching a spy satellite and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), though there were no immediate signs of action on these fronts.
The revelations follow recent claims by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that two North Korean soldiers were captured in Russia’s Kursk region, marking the first instance of North Korean soldiers being taken alive since they entered the war last autumn.
According to Ukrainian and Western assessments, approximately 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to bolster Moscow’s forces in the Kursk region, which Ukraine had briefly seized in a surprise offensive last year. Kyiv estimates that over 3,000 of these soldiers have been killed or wounded in the conflict.
Initially, both Moscow and Pyongyang dismissed reports of North Korean troop deployments. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin later declined to deny the claims, and a North Korean official asserted that any deployment was lawful.
The strengthened military ties between Russia and North Korea stem from a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty” signed during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June 2024. This agreement includes a mutual defence pact, further solidifying cooperation between the two nations.
As the situation develops, South Korea’s military continues to monitor North Korea’s activities closely, particularly the potential escalation of its involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Melissa Enoch
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