Daniel Wolfram
Zelenskyy warns the North Korean troops in Russia does not just pose a threat to Ukraine, but to all of Asia
Ukraine and Russia are entering a new phase of the war.
It is increasingly becoming a world war.
Now Russia is getting more help from a neighbouring country.
A new battlefield
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is sounding the alarm over North Korea’s growing role in the war against Ukraine. He warns that Kim Jong Un’s army is sharpening its skills on the front lines.
Zelensky cautioned that the partnership with Russia and North Korea is making them far more dangerous to their Asian neighbours, including Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Moscow now relies heavily on outside help to keep its war effort going.
“This is the first time in Russia’s history that they no longer have a secure strategic rear,” Zelensky said. “For the first time, they cannot wage war without reinforcements from North Korea.”
Fresh troops entering the war
Thousands of North Korean soldiers have already entered the fight. According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, Pyongyang sent roughly 15,000 troops and heavy munitions to the Kursk region, where around 2,000 have died.
That deployment is only the beginning. Zelensky noted that North Korea is preparing to send another 30,000 to 50,000 personnel to assist Russian forces.
To counter the threat, Kyiv is asking Seoul for air defence equipment. South Korea currently provides humanitarian aid to Kyiv, but domestic laws stop it from handing over lethal arms directly.
Changing the war
The United States military is paying close attention to these developments.
U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Ryan Donald confirmed that allied joint training exercises will adapt to this new reality. “DPRK soldiers have deployed and fought in Ukraine and they’ve taken those lessons they learned there and brought them back to North Korea,” he told reporters on Monday. “That changes the DPRK capability and our training accounts for that threat.”
Meanwhile, South Korean officials want the military partnership stopped for good. Foreign Ministry spokesman Park Doo-soon warned that the cooperation violates U.N. Security Council resolutions and directly threatens regional peace.
Still, Seoul remains focused on non-lethal support like energy and healthcare, leaving the future of air defence assistance uncertain.
