South Korea’s military reported on Monday that it has observed indications of North Korea preparing to bolster Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine by deploying additional troops and weapons, including suicide drones. According to Col. Kim Jun-rak of Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), “North Korea is preparing to send more personnel to Russia and supply critical munitions, including the delivery of additional suicide drones.”
The JCS has detected the North supplying more 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers to Russia, as well as preparing to produce more suicide drones to be shipped there. It also says that North Korean soldiers have crossed into South Korea, although it does not believe they were trying to provoke a clash deliberately. The South’s military reported seeing a group of more than 100 North Korean soldiers near the border, although they did not appear to be trying to cross into the other side. It is unclear what the North was doing in its border area, but the military believes they may have been scouting for possible targets or looking for places to fire their weaponry at the South.
NBC News reported earlier this week that some 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, reportedly under a defense treaty signed between the two nations this year. The move has set off alarm bells in South Korea and the United States.
North Korea’s decision to send the troops to Russia is a sign of desperation on both sides, analysts say. The North needs a partner that will help shield it from the United Nations Security Council, while Moscow is seeking an ally that can contribute to its war effort in Ukraine.
The South’s government calls the troop dispatch a direct threat to national security. President Yoon Suk Yeol has warned that his country won’t sit idle over the development and will respond by bolstering its own defenses.
Analysts note that the North is likely deploying more soldiers to Russia to give them more combat experience. Currently, most of the country’s soldiers have never seen battle and are not familiar with modern warfare. The NIS chief also reportedly told lawmakers that the agency has noticed the family members of those chosen to be sent to Russia are being relocated to special sites to isolate them from other civilians.
Adding more soldiers to the mix could also provide the Russians with a more balanced force against the Ukrainian military, which has suffered significant casualties in the war. But it would also mean more potential for North Koreans to be killed in action, which would raise concerns over the impact on the country’s already tattered relations with the world.
