Multiple sources based on the information from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea reported in October 2024 that North Korean soldiers were undergoing training in eastern Russia. The South Korean intelligence agency noted that there were around 1500 personnel sent for training for possible deployment in Ukraine and to join the Russia-Ukraine War. North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed these reports in separate press statements.
Deployment of North Korean Soldiers to Russia and Further Deployment to Ukraine
Background
North Korea has maintained strong diplomatic relations with Russia. It has recognized Crimea as part of Russia since 2017 the independence of the self-proclaimed people’s republics in Donetsk and Luhansk in July 2022. The North Korean government has also supplied the Russian Armed Forces with artillery weapons, ammunition, and missile systems.
The deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia and their participation in the war between Russia and Ukraine were expected. The exact number of troops is unknown. Earlier reports put the figure between 1500 to 12000 personnel on top of about 500 officials and 3 generals. More recent reports claim that there were 10000 to 12000 soldiers sent from North Korea.
A meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui was held on 1 November 2024 in Moscow. Son-hui affirmed continued military support for Russia. She underscored that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered North Korean agencies to provide unconditional aid for Russian forces and civilians.
The National Intelligence Service of South Korea asserted that North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia will receive a monthly salary of around USD 2000. Ahn Chang Il, a former North Korean Army lieutenant, claimed that deployed North Korean soldiers saw the mission as an opportunity for social advancement and financial improvement for their families.
Reactions
Zelenskyy described the involvement of North Korean soldiers as a significant development in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War because it marked a new dimension of global instability. He was also critical of his Western allies for their supposed lack of decisive action which has afforded Russian President Vladimir Putin the motivation to push his armed campaign further.
Both NATO and the United Nations also expressed their initial concerns. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned of further escalation of the ongoing war and possible geopolitical risks that could arise from increased military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. U.N. Secretary-General Antònio Guterres warned of a possible internationalization of the war.
Some were less concerned. Ants Kiviselg of the Estonian Defense Ministry explained that North Korean soldiers are ill-prepared for Ukraine because they were trained to fight in mountainous terrain. Kateryna Stepanenko of the Institute for the Study of War also said that the involvement of these troops would only give Russia breathing room to rebuild its forces.
Deployment
Financial Times foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman wrote on X that North Korean soldiers in Russia have become hooked to pornography due to free access to Russian internet service. However, according to reports from outlets like the New York Post and The Independent, the United States Department of Defense cannot confirm these claims.
The supposed first clash between Ukrainian and North Korean forces occurred in the Kursk region of Russia on 5 November 2024 according to a New York Times report. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umierov confirmed this in an interview with the South Korean television station KBS. The extent of the armed clash between the two factions was considered limited.
Several government agencies and media outlets have provided regular updates. South Korean intelligence estimates that at least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed and another 1000 wounded as of 19 December 2024. More recent reports in January 2025 put the figures of killed and wounded soldiers at more than 3000. Others were captured. Some defected.
Officials from the U.S. government alleged in an NPR interview that North Korean soldiers were sent into battle with little equipment or preparation. There were also coordination issues between Russian and North Korean troops. Russian soldiers were heard in an intercepted audio obtained by Ukraine expressing their condemnation of recruited troops from North Korea.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Butenko, V., Kostenkto, M., and Kent, L. 25 October 2024. “‘What The F*ck To Do With Them?’ Russian Soldiers Heard Condemning North Korean Recruits in Intercepted Audio.” CNN. Available online
- Galvin, S. 5 November 2024. “North Korean Soldiers Hooked on Porn After Getting Internet Access for First Time While Helping Russia Fight Ukraine: Report.” New York Post. Available online
- Hagan, R. 8 November 2024. “Pentagon Responds to Claims North Korean Troops in Russia ‘Gorging on Pornography’.” The Independent. Available online
- Ivanyshyn, V. and Basmat, D. 6 January 2025. “3,800 North Korean Troops Killed or Injured in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Zelensky Says.” The Kyiv Independent. Available online
- Körömi, C. 19 December 2024. “Seoul Reveals How Many of Putin’s North Koreans Have Died Fighting Ukraine.” Politico. Available online
- Mann, B. 30 December 2024. “Experts Say It Appears North Korean Soldiers, Fighting with Russia, Are Ill-prepared.” NPR. Available online
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 28 October 2024. “Doorstep Statement: By NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte following the North Atlantic Council Briefing on the DPRK’s Troop Deployment to Russia.” Newsroom. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Available online