North Korea’s military support for Russia, including reports of troop deployments, has raised significant concerns among U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies as tensions escalate in the Ukraine conflict.
A U.S.-South Korea intelligence source revealed on Oct. 17 that the two countries have long been monitoring frequent movements of personnel and materials via trains between North Korea and Russia, in response to reports that North Korea has sent troops to support Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
According to reports, South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed that North Korea’s military assistance to Russia has been ongoing since June, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to revive a mutual military aid treaty during a summit in Pyongyang. It is believed that the support includes a large number of North Korean combat troops, and authorities are currently working to verify these claims.
On Oct. 16, the BBC reported, citing sources from the Russian Far East, that a considerable number of North Korean individuals had arrived in Russia and were stationed at a military base near Ussuriysk, located north of Vladivostok. Earlier reports from Ukrainian media suggested that North Korea had sent 10,000 troops to Russia, with around 3,000 of them undergoing training with Russia’s elite airborne brigades.
Also on Oct. 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, North Korea was preparing to send a total of 10,000 personnel—including ground troops and technical staff—to support Russia, and that some officers were already stationed in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
There are concerns within U.S. and South Korean intelligence that North Korea may have sent its largest-ever contingent of troops to Russia. While North Korea has previously deployed forces to countries like Vietnam and Egypt, those deployments only involved a few hundred personnel. A government official noted that while the reported figure of 10,000 troops might be exaggerated, the situation is still severe, as the reports suggest North Korea’s involvement is approaching the level of direct military engagement.
Military experts speculate that North Korea may have deployed small units specializing in special operations, battalion-level combat troops, military advisors, and combat support units such as engineers.
A military source mentioned that no signs of North Korean armored equipment have been detected in Russia so far, but there is a possibility that North Korea has sent infantry and sniper units to engage in infiltration, sniper missions, and sabotage operations. According to North Korea’s defense white paper, the country maintains a standing force of 1.28 million personnel, with approximately 150,000 in its special forces.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte expressed concern about the reports of North Korean troop deployments, though he could not confirm them, and strongly condemned the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. He emphasized that, even apart from the potential troop deployment, North Korea is already supporting Russia’s war efforts.
There is also speculation that the North Korean troops sent to Ukraine could take responsibility for specific fronts or regions, similar to how U.N. forces assisted S. Korea during the Korean War.
Some reports suggest that North Korean forces might be deployed in the Kursk region of Russia, where they would operate as independent units. A military official noted that maintaining combat effectiveness could be challenging if mixed units are formed due to language barriers, drawing a parallel to the French forces during the Korean War, who maintained their unit structure while participating in the Battle of Chipyong-ni.
