North Korea May Send Troops to Occupied Ukraine to Support Russia, Says South Korean Defense Minister

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun stated that North Korea is likely to send military personnel to temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine to support Russia's war effort.

As reported by Korea Times, he made this statement during an address to the parliament, commenting on media reports about the deaths of North Korean army officers near Russian-occupied Donetsk.

The minister referenced a comprehensive partnership agreement signed between Moscow and Pyongyang during Russian leader Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea in June 2024. This agreement includes a provision for military assistance in the event of an attack on either party.

"As Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual treaty akin to a military alliance, the possibility of such a deployment is highly likely," he noted.

"Given this context, recent reports of North Korean troop casualties in Russian-occupied territory near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk are likely to be accurate," Kim Yong-hyun added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the agreement reflects an "exclusively defensive position," implying that only those planning aggression against Russia or North Korea would object to it.

Earlier on October 4, it was reported that more than 20 soldiers were killed in a missile strike targeting Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk, including six North Korean officers who were there to meet with their Russian counterparts.

On June 21, it was stated that North Korea might send a large engineering force to help rebuild infrastructure in the Russia-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine, according to South Korea’s TV Chosun, citing government sources.