On October 23 in Rome, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia to participate in the ongoing Ukraine war, marking a significant shift in Russia’s military operations. South Korean television aired footage of North Korean soldiers undergoing training in Russia. According to analysis from The New York Times, North Korea’s involvement in this conflict is expected to strengthen the relationship between North Korea and Russia, which has evolved since the Cold War. Meanwhile, Foreign Policy Journal noted that this marks North Korea’s first engagement in foreign military affairs since the Korean War. Should Russian forces successfully leverage North Korean special troops to change the tide of war, it could reorganize the Russian military and enhance their chances of success in the south.
Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met twice, and in June 2023, they signed a joint defense and cooperation treaty. Observers have been closely analyzing what this treaty signifies amidst the fierce backdrop of the Ukraine-Russia war.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it is reported that over 600,000 Russian soldiers have died. North Korea has not only provided logistical support but has also sent troops to aid Russia in the conflict.
South Korean defense officials indicated that since August of last year, North Korea has delivered over 13,000 containers loaded with artillery shells, anti-tank rockets, and short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. They have also dispatched technical personnel and officers to assist Russian forces in operating North Korean weaponry and collecting performance data on North Korean missiles in modern warfare.
With a military force of 1.2 million personnel, North Korea boasts one of the largest armies in the world. However, it has not engaged in significant conflict since the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. For decades, North Korea has claimed that its military establishment serves a deterrent role; now, its deployment of troops to Russia signifies its first involvement in an overseas war.
This support from North Korea is likely to secure Russia’s veto against any new U.S.-led sanctions in the United Nations Security Council aimed at North Korea, potentially neutralizing the effects of existing sanctions.
South Korean officials noted that North Korea continues to receive oil supplies from Russia, bolstering its ability to resist the U.S. and its allies. However, it remains unclear whether Russia will assist North Korea in overcoming the technological barriers associated with its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and launched multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles, but its technology has not yet achieved the range necessary to target the U.S.
Foreign Policy Journal suggests that indications are emerging that Russia may employ North Korean soldiers to prevent a Ukrainian invasion near Russia’s Kursk region, with potential deployments to the frontline occurring as early as November.
The deployment of North Korean soldiers to Kursk has two significant implications: politically, it aligns perfectly with the joint defense agreement between Russia and North Korea, aimed at repelling armed aggression against their territories; historically, the ongoing Ukraine war has heightened the strategic importance of Kursk. If Russian forces can leverage North Korean special troops to turn the tide, it could reorganize their military and enhance their chances of success in breaking through Ukrainian defenses in Donetsk, while also paving the way towards Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk.
