North Korea hesitates to send troops to Russia due to China ties — military expert

Dmytro Zhmailo, co-founder and executive director of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

“If North Korea could send a large number of its soldiers to help Russia in the war against Ukraine, it would have done so long ago. It is important to remember that North Korea is very dependent on China. Beijing plays a role in this situation similar to what the West plays for Ukraine. They provide Russia with minimal technical support to keep it from collapsing. In fact, the fiber-optic drones used by Russia came from China. Thus, Beijing will continue to help Russia just enough so that it does not lose this war. This is a bargaining game between the Western and Eastern worlds. Therefore, if the idea of a 100,000-strong North Korean army fighting in Ukraine, as Russia claims, were realistic, it would have happened long ago. Still, China’s role will be decisive in this matter,” says Zhmailo.

The expert emphasized that significant losses of North Korean troops in the Kursk region also negatively affect North Korea’s willingness to send its own forces to Russia.

“Considering that the previous contingent of North Korean soldiers decreased by one-third, the next troop deployments will be spread out over time. Heavy losses still play a negative role, no matter how much they try to hide it. Therefore, this is a matter of high politics, not just bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea,” he concluded.

• In early June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated at a meeting in Pyongyang with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu that the DPRK will continue to support Russia in the war against Ukraine.
• On June 11, the Institute for the Study of War reported that Russia and North Korea are likely trying to use more covert methods to create pathways for North Korean citizens to join the Russian military.