North Korea Deploys Troops to Aid Russia

North Korea Deploys Troops to Aid Russia

Elizabeth Denton

Staff Writer 

North Korea’s recent troop deployment to Russia has heightened international tensions and raised questions about the scope of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The White House has threatened that North Korean forces could become legitimate military targets after North Korea deployed 10,000 troops to Russia for combat against Ukrainian forces, reports The Guardian. The United States and South Korean defense chiefs have called for North Korea to withdraw its troops, although Pyongyang denies sending forces to Russia. Though North Korea’s vice foreign minister has said that if such a deployment were to happen, it would be in line with global norms. Russia has similar rebukes against accusations of illegal international military action.

According to Reuters, the UN’s Security Council held a meeting accusing Russia of violating UN resolutions and the UN Charter with the deployment of North Korean troops, claiming it was supporting an act of aggression. Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s UN envoy, said that Russia’s military interaction with North Korea does not violate international law. Nebenzia questioned why North Korea could not help Moscow when Western countries claimed the right to aid Kyiv in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

While the Kremlin initially dismissed reports of North Korean deployments as fake news, Putin did not deny North Korean presence in Russia, saying it was Moscow’s business how to implement a partnership treaty with Pyongyang. Since their leaders met last year, North Korea and Russia have upgraded military ties. The states met again in June to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership that includes a mutual defense pact, reports Reuters.

The North Korean deployment is fanning Western concerns over the conflict in Ukraine widening to a larger international scale. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte recognized the threat posed by deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea to Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security, Reuters reports, with President Biden has recognized the situation as dangerous.

While Pyongyang has already been supplying Russia with millions of rounds of ammunition and ballistic missiles, the deployment represents not only a significant escalation in North Korea’s ongoing involvement in Russia’s illegal war but also a breach  of UN Security Council resolutions and a dangerous expansion of the war. According to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, military cooperation between Russia and North Korea undermines the peace on the Korean peninsula.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russia is desperate for manpower, and North Korean deployment is an effort to fill the ranks without a second mobilization. A second mobilization would involve calling up Russian citizens, and after a partial mobilization in the fall of 2022 that was chaotic and inefficient, Russia is trying to avoid having to go down that route. While both Russia and Ukraine are experiencing a personnel shortage, by law conscripted Russian soldiers cannot serve outside Russian territory, a law Putin is unwilling to break in fear of public backlash.

North Korea reportedly plans to send a total of four brigades to Russia by December 2024, with more units next year. Many of the soldiers are a part of XI Corps, also known as Storm Corps, a special forces army unit trained in infiltration, infrastructure sabotage, and assassinations. Though numerous, North Korean military equipment is obsolete, and frequent fuel shortages from poor economic conditions impact supply shipments. 

Neither Russia nor North Korea have announced the role of these troops. Some experts speculate they may engage in reconnaissance and direct action; however, having them fight on the front lines would make North Korea a direct combatant in the war, complicating matters diplomatically. Others believe the troops will be used as support, such as drone operations.

South Korea is concerned that the deployment of North Korean troops could provide them with combat and technical experience North Korean forces previously did not have, reports the United States Institute of Peace. The Yoon administration believes the direct deployment of North Korean troops in conflict represents a great security threat.

China is also watching closely for what this means for its influence over North Korea. North Korean presence in Russia gives China’s efforts to distance itself from the growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea trouble. According to the United States Institute of Peace, Beijing has denied accusations that it is part of the emerging security axis with Moscow and Pyongyang. China is now finding itself on the defensive due to its Russia-leaning stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its relationship with North Korea.  Recent developments in the relations between Russia and North Korea present challenges for Russia’s efforts to engage in full-scale diplomacy aimed at enhancing trade relations with Europe, as well as its ongoing negotiations to strengthen ties and reach a bilateral free trade agreement with South Korea. China’s experts warn that North Korea’s involvement risks bringing China into the conflict and enlarging the war.

Image courtesy of Getty Images