South Korea has stated that North Korea may be planning to send its troops to Ukraine to support Russia in the war, according to South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, speaking in parliament.
This information comes from Yonhap.
According to Kim Yong-hyun, this possibility arose after the signing of a military cooperation agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang during Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea in June.
The minister noted that the treaty between Russia and North Korea resembles a military alliance and allows for the possibility of mutual military assistance. This makes the deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine quite realistic.
He also commented on reports of North Korean military casualties in Russian-occupied territories of the Donetsk region, previously announced by Ukrainian intelligence. According to data published on October 4, over 20 North Korean servicemen, including six officers, may have died as a result of a strike by Ukrainian forces on a Russian facility.
Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has been actively discussed since the signing of the treaty in June. Although Vladimir Putin previously stated that he did not plan to involve North Korean troops in combat actions in Ukraine, later information emerged about the possible deployment of North Korean engineering troops in temporarily occupied territories.
- South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea had increased its arms supplies to Russia.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which included commitments for mutual defense, marking one of Russia's most significant steps in Asia in recent years, which, according to Kim, represents an "alliance."
