A new world war? Zelensky's warning as North Korea deploys troops to Ukraine

North Korea is preparing to send thousands of soldiers to aid its Russian ally in Ukraine according to recent comments from Volodymyr Zelensky, who appeared to confirm recent reports that Pyongyang would soon be an active participant in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Zelensky said: "We know about 10,000 soldiers from North Korea they are preparing to send to fight against us," and he added that North Korea's participation in the war was “the first step to a World War."

The Kyiv Post initially reported on October 15th that an unnamed Western diplomat told the Ukrainian news organization that it was unclear what type of troops were being sent by North Korea to aid Russia nor in what capacity the soldiers would serve. 

The report followed comments from Zelensky on October 14th that claimed Russia had a plan to include "the actual involvement of North Korea in the war” in the fall or winter of 2024 during his presidential nightly address to Ukraine.

"This is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces," Zelensky said at the time according to The Kyiv Independent. 

On October 8th, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun warned North Korea would likely send soldiers to Ukraine to aid Russia following the signing of Moscow and Pyongyang’s new security deal in June. 

"As Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual treaty akin to a military alliance, the possibility of such a deployment is highly likely," the South Korean Defense Minister told the country’s parliament. 

On October 10th, The Washington Post reported that a Ukrainian military intelligence official speaking to the news outlet on the condition of anonymity revealed that several thousands of North Korean soldiers were training in Russia. 

The official claimed the North Korean soldiers could be deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine before the end of the year. They also claimed that the North Koreans already had officers in Russian-occupied Ukraine. 

“It could have a significant impact. Especially if we’re talking about freeing up reserves within the territory of the Russian Federation itself,” the official explained about how a deployment of the North Korean troops could affect the ongoing conflict. 

Reports about North Korean troops in Russia and Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine had also surfaced on Telegram that suggested there may have been some truth to the claims that Pyongyang has sent soldiers to the war zone according to The Washington Post. 

On October 3rd, a Ukrainian missile strike against a target in Russian-occupied territory near the city of Donetsk resulted in the death of twenty soldiers, six of whom were North Korean officers according to Kyiv Post. 

The Ukrainian news outlet reported that the six North Korean officers were in the Russian-occupied territories to “confer with their Russian counterpart” and cited it got the information from the new outlet’s intelligence sources. 

Three North Korean soldiers were also wounded in the missile strike and the Kyiv Post reported that Russian social media claimed the North Koreans were watching a Russian demonstration on the “training of personnel for assault actions and defense.”

In 2023, the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence warned Pyongyang of sending military personnel, including engineering personnel, to Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk according to a report from Newsweek that cited a Russian Telegram channel. 

The National Center for Resistance also reported in September 2023 that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was persuaded by Russian President Vladimir Putin to send North Korean citizens to the Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine. 

Putin allegedly convinced Kim to open diplomatic missions to Donetsk and Luhansk so that they could strengthen economic ties, promote tourism, and facilitate the importing of workers who could be used for construction projects in the occupied territories.

Russia and North Korea have developed a much closer relationship since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The United States has accused Moscow of using their relationship to obtain war materials from Pyongyang. 

In June 2024, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik claimed that Pyongyang had delivered roughly 10,000 shipping containers worth of military help to Russia and added the containers could have held up to 4.8 million artillery pieces according to Bloomberg News.

“Putin is expected to seek closer security cooperation with North Korea, especially military supplies such as artillery shells that are necessary to seize a chance to win,” Shin told Bloomberg News. 

In return for military supplies, Russia has allegedly been providing technology to the North Koreans to assist them in their plans to deploy spy satellites into orbit. Shin also said Moscow was also helping North Korea advance its conventional arms like tanks and aircraft. 

June 2024 also saw Putin visit North Korea for the first time in 24 years. While there he signed a new defense and security pact with Pyongyang that Foreign Policy magazine referred to as a “landmark deal” deal between the two nations. 

“The treaty promises immediate military aid if either country faces armed aggression,” noted Foreign Policy’s Alexandra Sharp, who added the Soviet Union signed a similar deal with North Korea in 1961, which lasted until the collapse of the communist state. 

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