• South Korea reports likely North Korean troop involvement in Ukraine, with casualties from a Ukrainian strike
• North Korea and Russia’s alliance deepens, possibly involving arms transfers
• UN sanctions are undermined, tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula

North Korean forces appear to be fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, according to Seoul’s defence minister.

Kim Yong-hyun told South Korean lawmakers on Tuesday that it was “highly likely” that six North Korean personnel were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike near Donetsk on October 3, as Ukrainian media reported last week.

The suggestion comes as Pyongyang and Moscow’s ties grow. North Korea has denied that it is transferring armaments to Russia’s military for use in the invasion of Ukraine.

We believe that losses among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine are very likely, given the circumstances, Kim said, adding that Seoul expects Pyongyang to send additional troops to back Russia’s war effort.

He stated that the deployment of regular troops is highly likely to result from mutual agreements resembling a military alliance between Russia and North Korea.

Deepening bonds

In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation with a mutual defence pact.

South Korea, backed by the US, alleges Pyongyang has become a significant supplier of weaponry to Russia for use in Ukraine. Both countries have refuted the charges.

Analysts have warned that North Korea’s recent rise in artillery and cruise missile manufacture and testing may be in preparation for future exports to Russia.

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United Nations sanctions prohibit North Korea from conducting ballistics tests.

However, in March, Moscow used its UN Security Council veto to effectively stop UN monitoring of infractions, for which Pyongyang expressed gratitude.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months, with North Korea conducting missile tests and South Korea conducting large-scale military exercises.

North Korea is anticipated to cancel a critical inter-Korean agreement reached in 1991 at a parliamentary meeting this week as part of Kim’s push to declare the South an enemy state officially.

Moscow and Pyongyang have been allies since North Korea’s establishment following World War II, and relations between the two nations have improved since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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