Advertisement
Opinion | US-China war diplomacy vital as North Korea complicates Ukraine fray
The scale and speed of Pyongyang’s reported troop deployment to Russia strongly suggests premeditation. The US and China must act to prevent escalation
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The threatening nature of the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has become clear with the reported deployment of North Korean combat troops to Russia. This development came as a surprise, as few had anticipated troop movements so soon after the North Korea-Russia treaty signed in June.
Advertisement
South Korea’s intelligence agency first detected the movement of North Korean special forces on October 8. Satellite imagery reportedly showed troops being transported aboard multiple Russian warships. At the time, around 3,000 including special forces were thought to have been deployed, with the number expected to reach 10,000 by year’s end.
On October 23, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin publicly confirmed the troop deployment. A week later, on October 31, he warned that 10,000 North Korean soldiers had arrived in Russia, had been outfitted with Russian military uniforms and equipment, and were expected to be moved to battlefields in Ukraine – with around 8,000 in the Kursk border region.
Since then, the troop numbers have continued to rise, with the Pentagon reporting this week of up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia, including at least 10,000 in Kursk Oblast – where Ukraine says its forces have attacked them.
Russia’s refusal so far to confirm or deny the presence of North Korean soldiers can be interpreted as an implicit admission. That the United States did not immediately publicly acknowledge South Korea’s intelligence, and instead took its time to confirm the findings, must be due in part to the shock of the development. The potential repercussions are profound, and risk an escalation into a global conflict.
Advertisement
North Korea has made a veiled admission of its troop deployment to Russia, framing any military cooperation as legal support under their mutual assistance pact. But given the newness of the pact and the scale and speed of the troop deployment, it is hard not to see premeditation.
01:43
Nato says North Korean troops reached crucial Russian border region near Ukraine
Nato says North Korean troops reached crucial Russian border region near Ukraine
Advertisement