If the South Korean and Ukrainian information is confirmed, the deployment of troops from Pyongyang would lead to the entry of a third country into the war and intensify frictions between North Korea and the West.
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France has expressed concern about growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea after South Korea’s spy agency said Pyongyang had sent troops to fight in Ukraine.
“The increase in North Korean cooperation and military support for the Russian war effort in Ukraine is very worrying,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said.
If the South Korean information is confirmed,The deployment of troops would result in a third country entering the war and would intensify friction between North Korea and the West.
Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement that Russian naval ships transferred 1,500 members of North Korean special operations forces to the Russian port city of Vladivostok from October 8 to 13.
More North Korean troops are expected to be sent to Russia soon.
North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia reportedly received Russian military uniforms, weapons and fake identity documents. Their formations would be called “the Buryat battalions” (from the name of the Mongol ethnic group of the Russian Far East) in order to hide their true origin.
They are currently staying at military bases in Vladivostok and other Russian locations such as Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk, and will likely be deployed to battlefields after completing their adaptation training.
The NIS published satellite and other photos on its website showing what it called movements of Russian naval ships near a North Korean port and suspected North Korean mass gatherings in Ussuriysk and Khabarovsk over the past week.
South Korean media, citing the NIS, reported that North Korea had decided to send a total of 12,000 soldiers divided into four brigades to Russia. The NIS said it could not confirm this information.
The NIS has a mixed record when it comes to monitoring developments in North Korea, one of the most secretive countries in the world.
If the information is confirmed, it would be North Korea’s first significant involvement in a foreign war.
North Korea matters 1.2 million soldierswhich makes itone of the largest standing armies in the worldbut she has not participated in large-scale conflicts since the Korean War of 1950-1953.
Asked about the NIS findings, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said: “At this time, our official position is that we cannot confirm reports that North Koreans are actively participating in the war effort as soldiers, but that could change.”
Russia has previously denied using North Korean troops in the war, with presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling the allegations “fake news” during a press conference last week.
North Korean state media has, unsurprisingly, not made a statement on the matter.
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North Korea and Russia, engaged in separate confrontations with the West, have significantly increased cooperation over the past two years.
The United States, South Korea and their partners have accused the North of supply artillery shells, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia to help fuel its war against Ukraine, in exchange for economic and military aid.
In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance in the event of an attack from either country.
Many experts question how much sending North Korean troops would help Russia, due to North Korea’s outdated equipment and lack of combat experience.
ADVERTISEMENT“Diplomatically, Pyongyang would sacrifice its relations with European countries for the foreseeable future. The quid pro quo in terms of Russian military technology provided to the Kim regime could be significant enough to threaten South Korea’s security,” Leif said. -Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
