South Korea says North Korea likely to send troops to fight against Ukraine

South Korea's Ministry of Defence believes that North Korea is likely to send some of its regular armed forces to the battlefield in Ukraine in support of Russia.

Source: South Korean news agency Yonhap, which quotes South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun  

Quote: "As Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual treaty akin to a military alliance, the possibility of such a deployment is highly likely."

Details: The statement comes as North Korea is seeking to strengthen ties with Russia, as evidenced by a bilateral agreement that includes a mutual defence clause signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at summit talks in June.

South Korea's Defence Minister also said that recent reports of North Korean troop losses near Donetsk are likely to be true.

Background:

• On 5 October, several Ukrainian media outlets cited intelligence sources as saying that a missile strike on 3 October in Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk killed more than 20 soldiers, including six officers from North Korea.
• In June 2024, Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, which provides for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of these states.
• South Korean TV channel TV Chosun reported in June that North Korea would send military construction and engineering forces to take part in "reconstruction work" in occupied Donetsk Oblast as early as July 2024.

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