The North’s latest deployment of troops to Russia has raised concerns of further escalations both in Ukraine, as well as on the Korean peninsula, where both Koreas remain technically still at war.
Cha Du-Hyeogn, a principal fellow at South Korean think tank The Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said Seoul has two major concerns – the North gaining warfare experience, and the possibility of Russia transferring nuclear or missile technology to Pyongyang in return.
“If North Korean troops are actually deployed, it means they would gain modern combat experience from the Ukraine war, which ultimately poses an indirect threat to South Korea,” he said.
South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office has said that Pyongyang’s involvement poses a “great threat” to its security, adding Seoul may start supplying weapons to Ukraine if North Korean troops join Russia’s war.
Observers were concerned that after this precedent, the Kremlin could also invite troops from other countries that it has significant influence over, such as Belarus or Syria, to fight its war.
However, on the other side of the battlefield, it is unlikely at this point for Ukraine’s allies to send foot soldiers to aid Kyiv, Richey said.
