North Korea may deploy as many as 100,000 troops to support Russia in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine, according to assessments by some Group of 20 (G20) nations. The potential move is seen as a consequence of deepening ties between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Published by Bloomberg, the report stated that the planned deployment of additional North Korean soldiers in Ukraine would likely occur incrementally. Troops would rotate over time rather than being sent in a single large-scale mobilization.
The report aligned with concerns voiced earlier by Ukraine’s ambassador to South Korea, Dmytro Ponomarenko, who estimated that 15,000 North Korean troops could already be deployed in Russia’s Kursk region and potentially in occupied territories of eastern Ukraine. These troops, he suggested, might rotate every few months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of the broader implications of the growing alliance between North Korea and Russia. “The first battles with North Korean soldiers have opened a new chapter of instability in the world,” Zelenskyy said, further emphasizing the need for global efforts to prevent the war from escalating.
The potential deployment of North Korean troops has also raised concerns among Ukraine’s allies, including Germany. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reportedly conveyed to Putin that such an escalation would be viewed as a “grave” development in the conflict. Scholz is expected to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping to leverage Beijing’s influence over Pyongyang and Moscow.
South Korea earlier warned that it may send weapons to Ukraine following reports that North Korea has sent troops to Russia to support its war effort. The country made the threat amid concerns that Russia might supply North Korea with advanced weapons technology in exchange for its support, potentially bolstering Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. To date, South Korea has limited its assistance to humanitarian aid for Ukraine, refraining from directly providing arms.
