The war in Ukraine is offering North Korea's military a significant opportunity to test new weapons and assess officer preparedness for modern warfare, according to analysts and officials in South Korea.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian officials, including President Volodyr Zelensky, have reported that North Korea is providing military support to Russia. This includes not only shipments of artillery shells and ballistic missiles but also the deployment of military engineers and soldiers to assist Russian forces. South Korea's defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, indicated that it is "highly likely" that North Korean soldiers have already died in the conflict, with expectations of further troop deployments.
This assistance from North Korea to Russia marks a reversal of historical roles, as Moscow previously supported North Korea during the Korean War seven decades ago. Analysts suggest that North Korea's involvement could enhance its military readiness amid rising tensions with South Korea.
Since the Korean War, North Korea has not engaged in a major military conflict but has sought to supply weapons and military support to allied nations. Historical instances include sending pilots to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War and to Egypt during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, as well as providing missile technicians to the Assad regime during Syria's civil war in 2016.
Military expert Yang Uk noted that North Korea has a pattern of sending personnel to assist in conflicts where it sells arms, aiming to gain practical experience in warfare. If North Korean ground troops are deployed to Ukraine, it would mark their first significant military engagement in decades, allowing them to observe modern warfare techniques, including drone usage.
The United States has expressed concerns about the deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, providing evidence that North Korean weapons, particularly the KN-23 short-range ballistic missile, have been employed in Ukraine.
The KN-23 is part of North Korea's arsenal of nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missiles and would be a primary weapon in a potential conflict with South Korea, according to military analysts. Yang Moo-jin from the University of North Korean Studies stated that North Korea could gather valuable battlefield data to enhance missile effectiveness and marketability.
Analysts believe that North Korea's main contributions to Russia's military efforts will likely be in the form of engineers and weapons advisers to aid in the operation of Russian weapons systems and to collect operational data, despite the reported poor quality of many North Korean munitions.
However, some experts question the likelihood of North Korea committing large numbers of troops to the conflict in Ukraine due to the extensive preparations required for such operations.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, North Korea is reported to have shipped thousands of containers of weapons to Russia, possibly seeking technological support for its nuclear and space programs in return, as well as opportunities for its workers to engage in reconstruction efforts in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied claims of arms shipments, with Russia dismissing reports of North Korean troops fighting alongside its forces as "fake news." Nonetheless, reports from Ukrainian officials and media have increasingly highlighted these accusations.
President Zelensky remarked on the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea, indicating that the relationship is evolving beyond mere arms transfers to include personnel deployment.
As North Korea strengthens its ties with Russia, it has also intensified hostilities toward South Korea, recently demolishing transport links between the two nations as a symbolic act of aggression.
Political scientist Park Won-gon suggested that North Korea's alignment with Russia may embolden its aggressive posture toward South Korea.