South Korea's Defense Ministry warns DPRK may deploy troops to Ukraine to support Russia

Yonhap reported the information.

The ministry noted that North Korea is seeking to strengthen ties with Russia, as evidenced by a bilateral agreement containing a clause on mutual defense signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the summit talks in June.

“As Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual treaty akin to a military alliance, the possibility of such a deployment is highly likely,” Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun told lawmakers during a parliamentary hearing.

South Korea's concerns are fueled by reports of six North Korean soldiers killed in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Kim Yong-hyun said that this report was also likely true.

• On October 4, the Kyiv Post reported that a missile strike on the occupied territory of Donetsk region killed 20 soldiers. Among them, in particular, were six soldiers from the DPRK who were consulting the Russian army.