Seoul, South Korea
CNN
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There is growing information that North Korea has been preparing for a more direct role in Russia’s war in Ukraine, a move that could resonate far beyond the front lines of the war raging in Europe.

Both Ukraine and South Korea have claimed that North Korean troops were sent to Russia for training with the intention of being deployed there Ukraine.

Russia and North Korea have denied the reports, while South Korea has hinted that any deployment could cause the country to reassess the level of military support it provides to Ukraine.

In recent months, Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened their anti-U.S. military partnership, and the growing alliance is worrying officials in Kiev and Washington.

Here’s what we know.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned that North Korean troops are joining Russia’s war. Last week he told a NATO summit that “10,000” soldiers and technical personnel were being prepared.

The president said this on Tuesday in his evening speech Ukraine had intelligence about Russia “Training two military units from North Korea,” perhaps involving “two brigades of 6,000 men each.” Zelenskiy also told reporters that Ukraine has seen North Korean “officers and technical personnel in the temporarily occupied territories” and believes Russia is “preparing a group” to enter Ukraine.

A Ukrainian intelligence source previously told CNN that a small number of North Koreans have been working with the Russian military, mainly to assist with engineering and to exchange information on the use of North Korean munitions.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), said on Friday that North Korea has sent 1,500 soldiers, including special forces fighters, to Russia for training.

These messages appeared to be reinforced when North Korean soldiers were filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training ground in Russia’s Far East. Another video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN showed troops arriving at the Sergeevka training ground close to Russia’s border with China.

Russia and North Korea, both pariahs in the West, have forged friendly ties since Moscow’s invasion.

In June, the two countries signed a historic defense pact, pledging to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event the other was attacked.

Multiple governments have accused Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Moscow because of the heavy war in Ukraine, an accusation both countries have denied despite significant evidence of such transfers.

The arms shipments, including thousands of tons of ammunition, have helped Russia replenish its dwindling supplies in a war where Ukrainian forces have long been outgunned and outgunned. Meanwhile, North Korea is believed to have received food and other supplies in return.

The hermit The country is also trying to advance its space, missile and illegal nuclear programs.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed allegations that North Korean personnel were sent to help Russia as “another hoax.”

When reporters asked directly on Monday whether Moscow was sending North Korean troops to fight in Ukraine, Peskov said North Korea is a “close neighbor” and that the two states are “developing relations in all areas.”

“This cooperation is not directed against third countries,” he said.

North Korea called the claims “baseless, stereotypical rumors” at a meeting of the UN General Assembly Monday.

But Seoul is not taking this lightly.

On Monday, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador and urged an “immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops.”

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun warned that the alleged deployment violates UN Security Council resolutions. The National Security Office held an emergency meeting to discuss a possible South Korean response.

After the meeting, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of national security, said the government would implement “phased countermeasures” in accordance with the “progress of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.”

It is unclear what the measures would be, but a South Korean government official said they were preparing “diplomatic, economic and military measures.”

With North Korea in the “preparatory stage of deploying troops to Russia,” South Korea is assessing whether to engage in “actual combat participation,” the administration official added.

“We are developing scenarios to understand the potential impact that North Korea and Russia’s actions could have on us,” the administration official said.

Seoul, one of the world’s largest arms suppliers, has provided humanitarian aid and financial support to Ukraine while joining Western sanctions on Moscow. But it has not directly supplied Kiev with lethal weapons due to arms export controls to countries at war.

The stakes are high.

North and South Korea are separated by one of the most militarized borders in the world and are still technically in a state of war. Relations between the two have deteriorated in recent years, with an increase in fiery rhetoric on both sides of the demilitarized zone.

The US has not publicly confirmed the North Koreans troop deployment and says it “continues to investigate the reports.” A State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday that if true, “this would certainly represent a dangerous and deeply concerning development” and that the US would continue to consult with its allies “on the implications of such a dramatic move.” ”

But British Defense Secretary John Healey told parliament on Tuesday: “It is now highly likely that the transfer of hundreds of combat troops from North Korea to Russia has begun.”

Any intervention by North Korea could be a turning point. The isolated and heavily sanctioned regime playing a role in a major international conflict on the other side of the world is something it hasn’t done for decades.

The state has one of the largest armies in the world, with 1.2 million soldiers, but many of its troops have no combat experience.

Analysts say the North Korean regime would have much to gain from deploying troops, including give his powers battlefield experience and technical training. The arrangement could also help North Korea gain real information about the operation of its weapons.

“The Special Forces troops will come back with live battlefield experience, live infiltration experience against a forewarned combat opponent. That makes them more dangerous,” said Carl Schuster, former director of operations for the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center.

“I think Kim is providing the troops to get the resources he needs to maintain the regime, and that he has learned lessons that he could apply if he thinks the conflict is coming to the peninsula,” he added to it.

Chun In-bum, a former lieutenant general in the South Korean army, told CNN that the Russians would get “a boost in manpower that they are currently missing” and that the North Koreans will get “money, technology” and experience .

The residents would be “elite” special forces rather than conventional troops, analysts say.

“If they succeed, they will not only gain first-hand combat experience, but also international recognition. So this could be a really serious problem for the entire world,” Chun said.

‘What if the North Koreans make this a habit? What if they become a base for supplying well-trained soldiers? The potential of this deployment should be very concerning.”