North Korean soldiers were most likely killed in Ukraine after being sent there to lend a hand to Russia, the new South Korean Defense Minister said on Tuesday (October 8). A Ukrainian media outlet claimed this weekend that six North Korean officers died in a Ukrainian missile attack on Thursday near Donetsk, in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday that this was “very likely.” “We assess it as very likely that there were casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine, given various circumstances,” the minister said.
Seoul also expects Pyongyang to send more soldiers to the Ukrainian front to support its Russian ally, which launched a military operation on February 24, 2022. “The question of deploying regular troops is very likely due to the agreements mutual agreements (passed between Moscow and Pyongyang) which resemble a military alliance between Russia and North Korea”, estimated Kim Yong-hyun.
Experts have been saying for several months that North Korean missiles are deployed in Ukraine by Russian forces, despite denials from Moscow and Pyongyang. According to Seoul, North Korea has sent thousands of weapons containers to Russia for use in Ukraine.
“Training” for North Korean soldiers?
Both Ukraine and Russia have Asian fighters in their ranks. AFP journalists in India and Nepal investigated recruitment campaigns for the Russian army.
The nuclear-armed East Asian country has strengthened its military ties with Moscow in recent years. Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Pyongyang in June to sign a mutual defense agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. North Korea’s recent intensification of testing and production of artillery and cruise missiles may be linked to shipments to Russia, experts warn.
“For North Korea, which has supplied Russia with many shells and missiles, it is crucial to learn how to handle different weapons and gain real combat experience,” says Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Seoul Institute of Far Eastern Studies. “It may even be a determining factor in sending North Korean soldiers to provide them with diverse experiences and wartime training,” he adds.
Under UN sanctions, Pyongyang is prohibited from carrying out any weapons tests using ballistic technology. Moscow, however, used its veto in March at the United Nations Security Council to end the UN sanctions monitoring system targeting its long-time ally.