Ukraine war: what does North Korea gain by sending troops to Russia?

The US, South Korea and Ukraine say North Korean troops have been sent to Russia as analysts warn of an escalation in the Ukraine war

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang. Photo: dpa

Published: 4:11pm, 25 Oct 2024Updated: 4:25pm, 25 Oct 2024

North Korea may be motivated by prospects of Moscow’s help in providing military technology and personnel in the event of a conflict on the Korean peninsula, analysts say, when it decided to dispatch troops to Russia.

By doing so, North Korea has helped Moscow violate the sovereignty of another country and UN sanctions, analysts told This Week in Asia.

On Wednesday, American and South Korean officials confirmed there was evidence North Korea had dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of the war in Ukraine.

United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters during a visit to Rome that “we are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops” in Russia.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean troops had been trained in Russia to use equipment, including drones, ahead of their deployment in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s military intelligence services said on Thursday that the first North Korean units had been deployed in the Russian region of Kursk. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about Moscow’s partnership with Pyongyang and did not deny that North Korean troops were in Russia.