Tag: Russia

Considering the benefits of troop dispatches to both Russia and North Korea, it makes sense they would continue:

No signs have been detected of any imminent dispatch of additional North Korean troops to Russia, a lawmaker said Sunday, citing a report from the South Korean military.

North Korea, however, is believed to continue making preparations for a possible deployment of additional troops to Russia, according to Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the main opposition People Power Party.

In a report submitted to the lawmaker, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said, “North Korea continues to prepare for deployment, but no sign of an imminent deployment of additional troops has been identified.”

The assessment comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed last month that Russia was preparing to bring in an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to a border region in the southwest to assist its war against Ukraine.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Zelenskyy is probably in competition with the Arab countries to purchase Korean-made air defense systems. It seems his strategy is to scare the ROK with the North Korean threat in order to prioritize Ukraine for selling the systems to:

North Korea appears set to deploy an additional 30,000 to 50,000 troops to support Russia in its war with Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.

Zelenskyy made the remarks in a post on X, quoting comments he made in an interview with the United News telethon. 

“North Koreans appear on the territory of the Russian Federation from time to time … At first, we were talking about hundreds, then thousands, and now a decision has been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia,” Zelenskyy said.

North Korea will certainly gain experience in modern warfare under Russia, the Ukrainian president also said, adding that Pyongyang will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licenses from Russia and acquire various military tools.

Zelenskyy, in particular, said South Korea should have closer cooperation with Ukraine under such circumstances, adding that Ukraine seeks Seoul’s support for air defense systems, drones and other areas.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is going to put further strain on Ukraine to sustain their own manpower requirements in this war:

Russia is preparing to bring in an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to its war against Ukraine, with Pyongyang also planning to send more missile launchers to Moscow to support the war effort, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy made the remarks in an X posting summarizing his nightly video address, saying that Moscow has been preparing since last month to deploy the troops to a border region in the southwest. 

“Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea. Since June, preparations have been under way in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive them,” Zelenskyy said in the posting.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is pretty significant for the North Korean military to be invited to march in this parade:

North Korean troops marched in Russia’s Victory Day military parade held in Moscow on Saturday, according to footage released by Russia’s Tass news agency, in a show of the growing military ties between the two nations. 

In footage posted on Tass’ social media accounts, North Korean soldiers were seen marching in formation through Moscow’s Red Square while carrying the North Korean national flag and a banner marking Russia’s Victory Day, which commemorates the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

When you think about it, it is kind of embarrassing for Moscow to have relied on North Korea to recapture Russian territory. It would be like the U.S. relying on Canada to recapture part of Arizona if Mexico ever attacked the U.S.:

North Korea and Russia are dramatically expanding high-level exchanges, with three Russian ministers visiting the North at the same time, as they mark the first anniversary of the recapture of the Kursk region next week amid Moscow’s war with Ukraine, according to Pyongyang’s state media Thursday.

Sectoral working-level meetings to boost North Korea-Russia cooperation and exchanges were held at a hotel in the Wonsan-Kalma eastern seaside resort region the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The meetings brought together Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, who serves as the Russian chair of the bilateral committee on trade and economic cooperation; North Korea’s External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho; Russia’s Health Minister Mikhail Murashko; North Korea’s Public Health Minister Kim Tu-won and others.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.