North Korea confirmed on Friday that, in the event of a potential troop deployment to Russia, such action would be in accordance with international law. Kim Jong-gyu, Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of Russia, stated that he believes such action would comply with international legal norms.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry pointed out that it does not directly participate in the actions of the Ministry of Defense and does not see the need to independently confirm this information. This statement is the first official pronouncement from the regime, which neither confirms nor denies the sending of troops to Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ambiguously expressed his stance on this issue, indicating that how Moscow and Pyongyang implement their mutual defense assistance agreement is a matter for both countries. On the other hand, South Korea and the United States have mentioned that approximately 3,000 North Korean soldiers are currently at bases in the Russian Far East.
According to the South Korean National Intelligence Service, it is estimated that around 10,000 personnel could be deployed in Ukraine to support the fighting alongside the Russian army by December. Both North Korea and Russia have denied claims from Kiev and Seoul regarding the possible participation of North Korean contingents in the fighting in Ukraine.
The NIS and several experts indicate that the troop deployment is based on a strategic partnership pact signed by Pyongyang and Moscow in June. This agreement calls for mutual assistance in the event of an attack on one of the two signatory countries, a scenario that has emerged after Ukrainian incursions into the Russian regions of Belgorod and Kursk.
