South Korea may also send troops and weapons to Ukraine
22 October 2024 09:18
South Korea may follow North Korea’s example by joining the Russian-Ukrainian war. South Korean media have reported that Seoul is considering sending military and intelligence specialists to Ukraine after it became known that North Korean troops were involved in supporting Russia. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Newsweek.
According to the report, the South Korean government and military leadership are “considering a plan to send an appropriate number of troops, including intelligence officers [specialising in North Korea] and experts on enemy tactics” to Ukraine. The South Korean military will assist in interrogations or translation services in the event of the capture of North Korean soldiers by Ukrainian forces, as well as provide information on DPRK military doctrines, tactics and operations.
In addition, the South Korean Ministry of Defence noted at the briefing that they are ready to consider the possibility of supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine “with an open mind”. Until now, Seoul has only provided humanitarian aid to Kyiv.
These statements came after South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea had decided to send 12,000 special forces soldiers to support Russia, most of whom are already in training and will be deployed to the front, according to the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, on 1 November. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that this could be “the first step towards a world war”.
North Korea has also reportedly provided Russia with thousands of containers of ammunition. Last month, Kyrylo Budanov called North Korea’s support for the war “the worst problem” Kyiv faces from Moscow’s allies.
The deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is a cause for concern in both South Korea and NATO. During a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol condemned the military alliance and said that South Korea would take “gradual measures” in response to the threats.
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Cooperation between the DPRK and Russia
on 19 June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid his first visit to North Korea in 24 years. During this visit, he signed an agreement on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un. After the signing, Putin noted that this agreement provides for assistance in case of aggression against one of the parties. Recently, the agreement was submitted for ratification in the Russian parliament. The agreement explicitly provides for military assistance:
"If one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and is thus in a state of war, the other party shall immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
After the visit, it became known that the DPRK supplies Russia with artillery shells, which it uses in the war against Ukraine. According to The Times, their number is already approaching 3 million, which is half of all the shells that Russia is firing against Ukraine.
The Kyiv Post, citing intelligence sources, reported that on 3 October, 6 North Korean officers who were advising the Russians were killed in Donbas.
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