North Korea Dispatches Troops to Support Russia in Ukraine War: Key Considerations

Lee Hyunseung

Inserted 2 months ago

“They're totally not ready. They have never engaged in major conflict. They don't have real battle experience. Pyongyang has adopted many of Russia's weapons systems offering some level of familiarity to North Korean troops. But the troops sent to Russia have also received more advanced technology. Those could all pose problems for North Korean troops, who don't really train with that equipment. Their training since arriving in Russia has likely been basic and in such a short time frame they cannot master the drones and the high-tech equipment. And that will leave the North Korean troops vulnerable to being easily defeated or killed.”

Rferl

Former North Korean soldier - co-founder of the Washington-based North Korean Young Leaders Assembly

08 Nov 2024 5 2

Kang Cheol-hwan

Inserted 2 months ago

“The troop deployment to Russia is merely part of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's ruthless business strategy aimed at profiting from the war. North Korean troops sent to Russia are not elite army members. Kim Jong-un would benefit more from dispatching inexperienced soldiers to the front lines, as they will likely become cannon fodder. The more North Koreans die on the battlefield, the more money he stands to gain from Russia. Kim understands the value of specially trained forces better than any other dictator. Kim once remarked that one elite soldier is equivalent to 100 average soldiers in terms of military capability. He emphasized that their role is crucial in times of war. Kim is aware that the roughly 200,000 members of North Korea's special forces are a key military asset he can rely on. Therefore, he would never want to trade them away. If North Korea were to send elite troops to Russia, he knows his country would face dire consequences in the event of a contingency.”

Koreatimes

North Korean defector and journalist who operates two YouTube news channels

07 Nov 2024 8 4

Kim Young-hee

Inserted 2 months ago

“I wonder if they are really special forces. They were quite different from the Storm Corps members that I know. The special forces are physically fit and athletic, as they are well-fed and receive specialized training. However, the soldiers I saw on TV looked malnourished, resembling ordinary soldiers I encountered in rural areas of North Korea.”

Koreatimes

North Korean escapee who earned her doctoral degree in North Korean Studies in the South

07 Nov 2024 6 3

Andrii Sybiha

Inserted 2 months ago

“We call on Europe to realise that North Korean troops are now waging an aggressive war in Europe against a sovereign European state. This proves once again that while the West is afraid and hesitates, Russia is acting and going for escalation.”

Aljazeera

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

04 Nov 2024 7 3

Lu Chao

Inserted 2 months ago

“The U.S. should not expect China to manage North Korea. It is not the case that China is responsible to manage North Korea and the U.S. is responsible for managing South Korea. I hope the U.S. government could understand China's stance. The troop deployment is a matter between Russia and North Korea, while China's attitude remains unchanged that the conflict should not be escalated.”

Apnews

Director of the Institute of American and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University

03 Nov 2024 (approx) 7 5

Victor Cha

Inserted 2 months ago

“For China there's probably a combination of a little bit of exasperation, a little bit of panic and a little bit of they don't know what to do with regard to the current situation. It's unclear if Beijing was informed of Pyongyang's move [sending troops to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war] in advance. Beijing also could fret over Russia gaining more influence than China over North Korea.”

Apnews

Korean chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

03 Nov 2024 (approx) 5 6

Dennis Wilder

Inserted 2 months ago

“Beijing must find a balance between supporting Moscow and not angering the West. Chinese President Xi Jinping might for his own sake ignore the whole thing. Xi has built a personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he cannot see Putin fail. At the same time, Xi cannot anger the Europeans and Americans when his country's economy is struggling. So he's not going to say anything publicly about this [North Korean troops sent to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war].”

Apnews

Senior fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on global issues at Georgetown University

03 Nov 2024 (approx) 10 5

Jan Svec

Inserted 2 months ago

“I don't think that this (the transfer of North Korean troops) is such a decisive step that would lead to some kind of significant change of China's attitude toward North Korea or Russia.”

Kyivindependent

China researcher at the Prague-based Institute of International Affairs

02 Nov 2024 3 4

Edward Howell

Inserted 2 months ago

“North Korea wants advanced military and missile technology, but the broader goal of signaling the existence of an anti-Western coalition - which is not going to dissipate-is also important. Russia has provided North Korea with unwavering support at the U.N. Security Council over the past year, a maneuver that fulfills both Russian and North Korean interests. China will not be pleased with North Korea's ongoing claims that its 'number one friend' is Russia.”

Kyivindependent

Lecturer in international relations at the University of Oxford

02 Nov 2024 4 4

Mathieu Boulegue

Inserted 2 months ago

“Contrary to what China says officially… I don't think Pyongyang would have surprised China by sending troops without discussing it before. Without China's consent, there wouldn't be a North Korean regime.”

Kyivindependent

Senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) think tank

02 Nov 2024 3 2

Yinhong Shi

Inserted 2 months ago

“The Russia-North Korea partnership runs contrary to Beijing's goal for a peaceful Korean Peninsula. Beijing is aware of the complexity and danger of the situation. The fact that China hasn't said anything yet on the military alliance agreement between North Korea and Russia indicates that China strongly disagrees with it.”

Apnews

International relations expert from Renmin University in Beijing

31 Oct 2024 (approx) 4 5

Lloyd Austin

Inserted 2 months ago

“If they [North Korean soldiers] are fighting alongside of Russian soldiers, they are co-belligerents, and we have every reason to believe that...they will be killed and wounded as a result of that.”

Rferl

US Secretary of Defense

30 Oct 2024 6 1

Patrick Ryder

Inserted 2 months ago

“Indications (are) that there's already a small number (of North Korean troops) that are actually in the Kursk Oblast, with a couple thousand more that are either almost there or due to arrive imminently. The rest at this time, of course, (are) training out in the east, but (we) fully expect that they'll move in that direction at some point. We are concerned that they do intend to employ these forces in combat against Ukrainians or at least support combat operations against the Ukrainians in the Kursk region. As of right now, it remains to be seen exactly how the Russians and the North Koreans will employ these forces.”

En

Pentagon spokesperson - Military officer and United States Air Force brigadier general

29 Oct 2024 9 5

Viljar Lubi

Inserted 2 months ago

“I wonder if [seeing] North Korean troops on the soil of Ukraine will change the calculus. Already we've seen Iranian weapons ending up in both Ukraine and the Middle East. What if it's a proxy war in Ukraine - and Russia is a proxy, a Chinese proxy.”

Theguardian

Estonia’s ambassador to the UK

29 Oct 2024 8 3

Volodymyr Zelenskiy

Inserted 2 months ago

“We [Zelenskiy and South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl] discussed the involvement of North Korean military forces in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The conclusion is clear: this war is becoming internationalized, extending beyond two countries.”

Rferl

29 Oct 2024 6 4

Edward Howell

Inserted 2 months ago

“Indeed, North Korea is now a full-fledged participant in the Ukraine war rather than merely supporting Russia by supplying artillery shells without any direct involvement in the conflict. However, this might not change Moscow's overall strategy in the war. Not least given how the North Koreans, it seems, will be organised in their own battalions and have their own translators. What is concerning is whether, in return for the dispatch of North Korean troops, Russia will provide North Korea with any military technology which North Korea could use in any provocations against South Korea.”

Aljazeera

Lecturer in international relations at the University of Oxford

29 Oct 2024 4 4

Sabrina Singh

Inserted 2 months ago

“If we see [North Korean] troops moving in towards the front lines, they are co-belligerents in the war. This is a calculation that North Korea has to make.”

Rferl

Pentagon spokeswoman

28 Oct 2024 4 4

Yoon Seok-youl

Inserted 2 months ago

“This unlawful military cooperation between Russia and North Korea fundamentally undermines the rules-based international order and poses a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and globally. We will take phased measures depending on the developments in Russia-North Korea military cooperation.”

Koreatimes

President of South Korea

28 Oct 2024 4 3

Mark Rutte

Inserted 2 months ago

“Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region. The deployment of North Korean troops represents one - a significant escalation in the DPRK case ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war. Two - yet another breach of a UN Security Council resolutions. And three - a dangerous expansion of Russia's war. NATO calls on Russia and the DPRK to cease these actions immediately. The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.”

Pravda

Secretary General of NATO

28 Oct 2024 8 5

Volodymyr Zelenskiy

Inserted 2 months ago

“The world can clearly see what Russia truly wants: for the war to continue. This is why a principled and strong response from global leaders is essential. The actual involvement of North Korea in combat operations must be met with tangible pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang to uphold the UN Charter and to penalise this escalation, rather than with blind eyes and confused comments.”

Pravda

President of Ukraine

25 Oct 2024 4 3

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“We call on Europe to realise that North Korean troops are now waging an aggressive war in Europe against a sovereign European state. This proves once again that while the West is afraid and hesitates, Russia is acting and going for escalation.”

“I don't think that this (the transfer of North Korean troops) is such a decisive step that would lead to some kind of significant change of China's attitude toward North Korea or Russia.”

“Contrary to what China says officially… I don't think Pyongyang would have surprised China by sending troops without discussing it before. Without China's consent, there wouldn't be a North Korean regime.”

“If they [North Korean soldiers] are fighting alongside of Russian soldiers, they are co-belligerents, and we have every reason to believe that...they will be killed and wounded as a result of that.”

“I wonder if [seeing] North Korean troops on the soil of Ukraine will change the calculus. Already we've seen Iranian weapons ending up in both Ukraine and the Middle East. What if it's a proxy war in Ukraine - and Russia is a proxy, a Chinese proxy.”

“We [Zelenskiy and South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl] discussed the involvement of North Korean military forces in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The conclusion is clear: this war is becoming internationalized, extending beyond two countries.”

“If we see [North Korean] troops moving in towards the front lines, they are co-belligerents in the war. This is a calculation that North Korea has to make.”

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