North Korean troops fighting for Russia could be deployed to Ukraine soon, experts and officials say. The possibility of redeployment comes after a limited incursion by North Korean forces in March, which was seen as a test run for a more significant military operation.
The experience gained by the North Korean troops while fighting alongside Russian forces should not be underestimated, according to Lee, a Western military expert who has traveled regularly to the Ukrainian front lines. The North Koreans have demonstrated that they are very good infantry, particularly compared to most Russian infantry at this point, and have learned to adapt their tactics to a battlefield with drones.
If redeployed to fight on the front lines where Kyiv’s forces are already stretched, the North Korean troops would bolster Moscow’s manpower advantage in its already bogged-down spring offensive. Pyongyang’s official acknowledgement it is fighting alongside Russia could mean it is ready to double down and allow its forces to fight inside Ukraine, on the territories that Russia has annexed and which North Korea recognizes as part of Russia.
The consequences of such a move could be immense, with the possibility of being regarded as an act of aggression under international law and Pyongyang being seen as being in a state of war against Ukraine, something that could escalate into “World War III.”
