Main image: This image from the state-run Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observing a launch drill on March 18, 2024. (KCNA)
North Korea is using the war in Ukraine to test weapons that could be deployed against South Korea, according to Stars and Stripes.
Pyongyang is utilizing Ukrainian territory as a testing ground for its weapons. Ukrainian Ambassador to Seoul, Dmytro Ponomarenko, emphasized the strategic importance of developing military-technical cooperation between Kyiv and Seoul, urging South Korea not to delay these efforts.
North Korea began supplying weapons to Russia in 2023, including artillery shells, short-range ballistic missiles, conventional arms, and even military personnel, as reported by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. Evidence of North Korean ballistic missiles being used in Ukraine emerged after a Russian strike on January 2, 2024, confirming the strengthening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.
In light of this growing collaboration, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu in Pyongyang, expressing his willingness to support Russia's future actions. Since October of the previous year, Pyongyang has reportedly sent between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to the war, as confirmed by military sources from Ukraine, South Korea, and the U.S. However, North Korean authorities have not officially acknowledged their soldiers' involvement in the conflict.
Ukrainian forces published video recordings of interrogations of two North Korean soldiers who were captured. One of them expressed a desire to switch allegiance to South Korea. Ambassador Ponomarenko assured that while it is too early to discuss their fate, decisions will be made in accordance with international law and human rights.
South Korea has adopted a cautious stance on arms shipments to Kyiv. President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was previously impeached, condemned Russia’s invasion but refrained from providing lethal aid, citing a ban on weapon exports that could affect national security or international peace. Instead, Seoul has provided over $2.3 billion in humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine. However, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was reinstated by the Constitutional Court, stated that South Korea might reconsider its policy depending on the future cooperation between Russia and North Korea, which could influence further decisions by Seoul.
