North Korea is reportedly set to deploy a force of about 12,000 elite troops to aid Russia in the Ukraine war. This deployment marks North Korea’s first large-scale overseas ground troop deployment. The unprecedented military support is said to have elevated the relationship between North Korea and Russia to the level of a “blood alliance,” with significant shifts expected in the security landscape of the Korean Peninsula due to military technology transfers between the two nations.
As of October 18, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea reported that 1,500 North Korean soldiers had been transported to Vladivostok, Russia. Although North Korea has previously supplied weapons like shells and short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, the deployment of a significant number of elite troops represents a new level of military cooperation.
The recent signing of a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement” between North Korea and Russia last June is believed to have raised their relationship to the level of an alliance, suggesting their ties have now strengthened to that of a “blood alliance.”
There are concerns that this might lead to Russia openly supporting North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, causing a severe blow to South Korea-Russia relations. The potential receipt of advanced military technology from Russia by North Korea also adds to these concerns. As a member of the UN Security Council, Russia may further defy sanctions and tacitly acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear state, bolstering its position in international politics. This would inevitably impact the already strained South Korea-Russia relations which have been carefully managed by South Korean authorities.
Further concerns arise regarding the potential access North Korea might gain to advanced military technologies, which could support the development of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) re-entry capabilities, multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology, nuclear-powered submarines for launching submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and military reconnaissance satellite technologies. This collaboration could also contribute significantly to North Korea’s foreign currency earnings, with Russian combat soldiers reportedly earning an average monthly salary of about $3,000 (approximately 4 million won).
Experts highlight the symbolic impact of this deployment, noting that Russia would likely be under pressure to provide valuable military technologies in return. There is also the possibility, however, that a hypothetical scenario of conflict on the Korean Peninsula might see Russian military intervention in support of North Korea. The presence of an overt North Korea-Russia alliance could embolden North Korea’s provocations, clearly delineating a confrontation between the U.S.-South Korea alliance and the North Korea-Russia alliance on the Korean Peninsula.
The opportunity for the North Korean military to gain real-world combat experience in Russia, an experience they have lacked since the Korean War, poses a direct threat to South Korea. This development has led experts to argue that Russian involvement in Korean Peninsula affairs is becoming a grim reality, exacerbating security uncertainties in the region.