Ukraine could be battleground for North and South Korea

North Korea sending troops to Russia would be a serious escalation of Ukraine conflict: NATO (AP PHOTO)

South Korea has signalled it could consider supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea allegedly dispatching troops to Russia. 

Both North Korea and Russia denied the movements, which NATO's secretary general said would mark a “significant escalation.”

South Korea's statement was apparently meant to pressure Russia against bringing in North Korean troops for its war against Ukraine. South Korean officials worry that Russia may reward North Korea by giving it sophisticated weapons technologies that can boost the North’s nuclear and missile programs that target South Korea.

In an emergency National Security Council meeting, top South Korean officials condemned North Korea’s alleged dispatch of troops as “a grave security threat” to South Korea and the international community. They described North Korea as “a criminal group” that forces its youths to serve as Russian mercenaries for an unjustifiable war.

The officials agreed to take phased countermeasures, linking the level of their responses to progress in Russian-North Korean military cooperation, according to the statement.

Possible steps include diplomatic, economic and military options, and South Korea could consider sending both defensive and offensive weapons to Ukraine, a senior South Korean presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity in a background briefing.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, South Korea has joined US-led sanctions against Moscow and shipped humanitarian and financial support to Kyiv. But it has avoided directly supplying arms to Ukraine in line with its policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflicts.

South Korea’s spy agency said last week it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers  were being prepared to join invading Russian forces.

He called on allies "not to hide" from the challenge this posed.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants a response to reports North Korea is entering the war.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said later Tuesday that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is sending experts to Brussels soon to brief ambassadors at the 32-nation military alliance.

“That will now happen early next week, and then we will see whether North Korea is indeed, or not, supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine,” Rutte said. “If that would be the case, if they would be sending troops to Ukraine, that would mark a significant escalation."

North Korea and Russia have been sharply boosting their cooperation in the past two years. In June, they signed a major defence deal requiring both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked. 

South Korea's spy agency said that North Korea had sent more than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and other conventional arms to Russia since August 2023 to replenish its dwindling weapons stockpiles.

North Korea and Russia have denied the North Korean troop deployment as well as the purported weapons transfer.

At a UN Security Council meeting Monday, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia dismissed the South Korean assertion as well as Western allegations of Iran supplying Russia with missiles and China providing arms components. He accused the West of “circulating scaremongering with Iranian, Chinese and Korean bogeymen, each one of which is more absurd than the one before.”

At a separate UN committee meeting, a North Korean diplomat said his delegation feels no need to comment on the troop dispatch, calling it “groundless, stereotype rumours aimed at smearing the image” of the North and undermining the legitimate cooperation between two sovereign states.

US deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said that if true, the North Korean troop dispatch marks “a dangerous and highly concerning development” and noted that the US was “consulting with our allies and partners on such a dramatic move.”

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store