Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that North Korea\nis preparing a large wave of troop deployments intended to assist Russia\nin its war against Ukraine. He suggested that up to 50,000 North Korean\nsoldiers could potentially be stationed on Russian territory. In late\nJuly, the Ukrainian leader stated that Russia wanted to bring in 30,000\nadditional North Korean troops, later adding that Pyongyang had decided\nto deploy between 30,000 and 50,000 personnel. However, he did not\nspecify whether this figure includes North Korean soldiers already\ninvolved in the conflict. In the same statement, Zelenskyy also said\nNorth Korea is gaining valuable experience in modern warfare and urged\nSouth Korea to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine, particularly in air\ndefence and drone technology. A few days later, Zelenskyy issued another\nstatement claiming Russia had received additional ballistic missiles\nfrom North Korea, which were reportedly used in an attack on\nZaporizhzhia.<\/p>\n
Russia and North Korea signed a defence pact in the summer of 2024. A\nfew months later, Pyongyang began sending combat troops to Russia, with\nanalysts estimating that around 14,000 to 15,000 personnel have been\ndeployed, primarily in the Kursk region. North Korea subsequently agreed\nto send approximately 6,000 additional personnel consisting of\nengineering corps and military construction workers. Furthermore,\naccording to South Korean and Ukrainian authorities, Pyongyang has\nsupplied millions of artillery shells and ballistic missiles to Russia.\nSouth Korea\u2019s intelligence agency estimates that around 6,000 North\nKorean soldiers have been killed or wounded since their involvement in\nthe conflict. On Thursday, 13 August, Japan\u2019s Kyodo News agency cited\nUkrainian military intelligence as confirming the plan for additional\nNorth Korean troop deployments. The source indicated that up to 50,000\nNorth Korean soldiers could be stationed in Russia before the end of\nNovember. These troops are expected to serve in the Kursk, Bryansk, and\nBelgorod regions, allowing Russian forces to be concentrated on the\nfront lines in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
South Korean lawmaker Yu Yong-weon stated that military cooperation\nbetween Moscow and Pyongyang is deepening. The former military\njournalist said he had already heard reports of plans for additional\nNorth Korean troop deployments during his last visit in February. He\nexpressed concern that the plan is becoming a reality. He noted that if\nthe number reaches 30,000 to 50,000 personnel, it would be far larger\nthan the initial deployment of around 20,000 troops and support\npersonnel. However, he could not confirm whether a deployment of this\nscale would actually occur, though he stressed that the increasingly\nclose military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow warrants serious\nattention from the South Korean government and military.<\/p>\n
Former Deputy Director of South Korea\u2019s National Intelligence Service\n(NIS), Han Ki-bum, urged caution regarding the claims. He noted that\nUkraine initially mentioned an additional 30,000 personnel before\nraising the estimate to 50,000 without publishing detailed evidence of\nthe plan. Nevertheless, Han assessed that North Korea has a sufficiently\nlarge reserve of military personnel that sending such a number would not\nsignificantly weaken its own defence. He explained that any country\ninvolved in a protracted war will always feel a shortage of personnel,\neven if most wars end in a stalemate. Han also suggested that North\nKorean troops would likely be deployed to guard Russia\u2019s rear areas,\nthereby freeing up more Russian soldiers for the front lines in\nUkraine.<\/p>\n
Han further noted that North Korea also benefits from the\ncooperation, gaining direct experience in 21st-century modern warfare\nand the ability to test its weaponry under real combat conditions. The\nincreasingly close partnership with Russia is also believed to give\nNorth Korea access to Russian missile, naval, and air defence\ntechnology. The defence expert estimated that of the approximately 6,000\nNorth Korean casualties, around 2,000 are likely fatalities. He also\nmentioned that an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers and engineering\npersonnel are believed to have returned to North Korea. War veterans and\nthe families of fallen soldiers are reportedly receiving houses and\nvarious special facilities from the government. Han explained that while\nNorth Korean forces suffered heavy losses initially, they became more\neffective as they adapted to the battlefield. Their aggressive fighting\nstyle may explain why Putin and other Russian officials have praised\ntheir bravery.<\/p>\n
Ahn Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies,\nassessed that deploying up to 50,000 North Korean troops is militarily\nvery feasible. The former North Korean soldier who defected in 1979\nbelieves Pyongyang is likely to send elite troops for special\noperations. He noted that North Korean special operations forces are\nhighly capable in reconnaissance, surprise attacks, and ambushes, and\nhave demonstrated their combat abilities on the Kursk front, making them\nan attractive asset for the Russian military. However, if the number of\ntroops sent reaches around 30,000, Ahn estimates that the deployment\nwould include not only elite forces but also infantry, engineering\ncorps, military construction workers, and even female medical personnel.\nHe also revealed that North Korean women are being sent to Russia to\nwork in factories, restaurants, and hospitals, effectively serving as a\nsource of foreign currency earnings for the regime.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/what-impact-could-additional-north-korean-troops-have-on-the-ukraine-war-1786690419", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }