The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced the "de facto inclusion in the war of North Korea." According to him, it is "not just about the transfer of weapons, but actually about the transfer of people from North Korea to the military forces of the occupier." "The coalition of criminals together with Vladimir Putin currently includes the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), i.e. the family of Kim Jong-un, which enslaves more than 20 million Korean people," said President Zelenskyy during his speech in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in the Ukrainian and Western information space, reports also appeared about the alleged involvement of the North Korean military in the war on the side of the Russian Federation. Thus, Kyiv Post, citing its own intelligence sources, reported the death of six and wounding of three North Korean servicemen near Donetsk as a result of a Ukrainian missile strike. This was confirmed by Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, who noted on his Telegram channel that military engineers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are monitoring the process of launching weapons, and some of them have already died.
The Washington Post, citing information received from an unnamed representative of Ukrainian military intelligence, wrote that "several thousand" North Korean infantrymen are undergoing training in the Russian Federation and may be deployed on the front lines in Ukraine by the end of the year. In addition, the partisan movement "DROC" ("Death to the Russian occupiers and collaborators") reported on its Telegram channel about the alleged discovery of a training ground in the Mariupol district near the village of Sartana, "set up with the participation of the North Korean contingent." The publication LIGA.net, again based on the data of an unnamed source in military intelligence, reported that the Russian Federation is forming a "special Buryat battalion" from the North Korean military on the basis of the 11th separate amphibious assault brigade. According to their data, the approximate number of this battalion is about three thousand people, it can be sent to perform combat tasks in the Kursk region. Meanwhile, the sources of the largest independent media company of Ukraine "Public Broadcasting" reported on the training of 10 thousand North Koreans in the Far East.
References to "own sources" do not make it possible to verify the accuracy and truthfulness of the facts presented in the media and Telegram channels. However, the possibility of the deployment of North Korean troops on the side of the Russian Federation was admitted by the Minister of Defense of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Yong-hyun, during his speech at the meeting of the Defense Committee of the National Assembly on October 8, apparently to draw the attention of parliamentarians to the growing problem of Russian-North Korean cooperation.
It is also worth noting that information about the appearance of North Korean "manpower" in one or another role on the side of the Russian Federation was discussed almost from the beginning of the war.
Thus, even in the first year of full-scale aggression, the Russian ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Alexander Matsegora, spoke in his interviews about the prospects of involving North Koreans in the reconstruction of the occupied Donbass, especially since migrants who came to Russian territory in search of work are a fairly common phenomenon. However, the war has been going on for too long, apparently, even for Moscow itself, which was forced to turn to Pyongyang's political leaders not only for weapons, but also for manpower. On June 19 of this year, Putin and Kim Jong-un signed an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership, effectively concluding a military alliance. It states that "in the event that either of the two parties is brought into a state of war by the armed invasion of a single state or several states, the other party shall render military and other assistance by all means at its disposal without delay in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and the laws of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Russian Federation".
Immediately after its signing, TV channel of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) called TV Chosun, citing its own sources, reported that already in July, military construction and engineering forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will arrive in occupied Donetsk to participate in the restoration of infrastructure. In view of this information, the Institute for the Study of War noted in its report at the time that "so far it has not come across reports of the intention of North Korean troops to participate in hostilities", but assumed that direct North Korean engineering support could free up Russian combat power for operations along the front. In addition, what support can help Russian efforts to expand military infrastructure and defense fortifications. Taking into account recent events, we can conclude that this agreement really took place and North Korean soldiers could be sent to the occupied territories to perform certain functions in the rear.
Thus, officials at the Ministry of Defense ща the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) suggested that the presence of technical advisers could be a sign that the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, is providing the Russian Federation not only with artillery shells, but also with more advanced weapons, such as armored vehicles, missiles and rocket launchers, which require their presence. .
However, if the fact of direct participation of North Korean soldiers in hostilities is confirmed, it will indicate that Kim Jong-un not only received a favorable incentive offer from Putin, but also took the risk of losing control over his own citizens, who may flee or surrender. It was believed that it was this fear that kept him from sending his troops to the battlefield. Ctizens of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) cannot leave the country freely, and those who have passed the reliability check and managed to get into the circle of migrant workers are under the close supervision of special services and are restricted in their free movement. So the more people get to the war front, the harder it will be to keep them under control.
However, the dynamics of Russian-North Korean relations, as well as the general geopolitical situation, in which the political leaders of Pyongyang see a chance to increase their own military-technical capabilities and acquire skills in conducting modern warfare, can significantly adjust the behavior and priorities of Kim Jong-un. A small number of troops can become a "test batch" with the risk of developing into a permanent flow of manpower in the future. As was the case with the weapon, which initially appeared in discreet batches and was discussed mainly in the context of its poor quality.
Now, according to the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (HUR) Kyrylo Budanov, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has already become the biggest problem among all the allies of the Russian Federation due to the amount of military products it supplies to Moscow. First of all, this concerns "crazy volumes of artillery ammunition, which is critical for Ukraine." As Kyrylo Budanov admits, "we can't do anything about it yet" despite the fact that modern technical means make it possible to obtain complete information about the movement of cargo throughout the entire route of its transportation and loading to the war front.
While the Russian-North Korean tandem is only getting stronger, Ukraine is facing a serious crisis of support from its Western allies, both in the supply of weapons and in the vision of further assistance to Ukraine, especially against the background of the American elections. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the statement about the involvement of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the war after a visit to European capitals, apparently trying to wake up Western partners. He called for more support for the front and increased pressure on the Russian Federation, "stronger than they can withstand, to prevent a bigger war."
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin this week submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation a draft law on the ratification of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). This time is hardly chosen by chance. Apparently, he is trying to legalize the presence of North Korean troops in Russian and occupied territories and at the same time put pressure on the West and Ukraine, demonstrating readiness and resources for a long war. For his part, Putin has not only officially signed up, but is already in debt to Kim Jong-un, and in return will be forced to support his various plans with all the military means available to the Russian Federation.
Recently, another escalation has been taking place on the Korean peninsula, accompanied by mutual threats from the parties. Pyongyang has accused Seoul of infiltrating drones into its territory and put artillery units on alert along the demilitarized zone, as well as demonstratively blowing up road and rail routes towards the South. The political leaders of Seoul are aware of the threats posed by the military alliance between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). From the podium of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and at the recent East Asia-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, the country's president Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the illegal military cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which undermines the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and called on the world community to protect the international order based on rules.
A common threat certainly brings Kyiv and Seoul closer together. South Korea provides Ukraine with financial and humanitarian support and implements reconstruction projects. However, this is not enough to counter Russian aggression, let alone respond appropriately to the strengthening of Russian-North Korean military cooperation. On the eve of the American elections, Seoul took a wait-and-see position, as the outcome of these elections will directly affect the further development of the US-South Korean alliance and security in East Asia. Security dependence on the United States of America determines the line of behavior of South Korea: it tries to avoid additional problems in relations with neighboring countries, in particular with the Russian Federation.
Another "concern" expressed by political leaders in Washington in response to information about the possible involvement of the North Korean military in the war against Ukraine illustrates the weakness of American leadership and the inability to resist the growth of the axis of evil, which the Russian Federation is actively forming, and not without the help of China. Although the latter tries to distance itself from the Russian-North Korean alliance, it actively strengthens "strategic coordination" with the Russian Federation in matters of security and military-technical cooperation, conducts joint military exercises, which does not correlate well with its peace initiatives and claims of non-involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The appearance of the North Korean military may become another challenge for Ukraine in the war against the Russian Federation. Given the inability of international institutions to stop the Russian Federation, unfortunately, Ukrainians will have to find their own methods of confrontation. In this situation, it is important to correctly assess the capabilities and shortcomings of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), since a great place in the perception of this country is occupied by its mythologizing and stereotypical perception, generated by the country's isolation. Thus, in view of this situation, the Ukrainian media sometimes exaggerate Pyongyang's capabilities or, on the contrary, downplay them, and this distorts the correct perception and creates opportunities for manipulation.