North Korea‘s reported deployment of over 10,000 troops to Russia in support of Moscow’s war efforts could lead South Korea to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine and potentially escalate the conflict, observers suggest.
However, some analysts believe that Pyongyang is more concerned about its domestic security, especially in response to perceived threats from the US’s “extended” nuclear deterrence to Seoul.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed intelligence indicating 10,000 North Korean soldiers joining Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported that Russian navy ships transported 1,500 North Korean special operations troops to Vladivostok and that more forces are expected to be deployed soon.
The South Korean foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine, insisting on their immediate withdrawal.