South Korea may transfer lethal weapons to Ukraine amid the deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia

South Korea is considering the option of transferring lethal weapons to Ukraine against the background of sending North Korean soldiers to Russia.

This is reported by the South Korean agency Yonhap.

South Korea promised to take "staged measures" against North Korea and Russia through deepening military cooperation, and also called on North Korea to immediately withdraw its troops from the Russian Federation.

"If illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia continues, South Korea will not stand by, but will respond firmly in cooperation with the international community," South Koreaʼs deputy national security adviser Kim Taehyo said.

Among the possible scenarios under consideration is the sending of lethal weapons to Ukraine. Currently, Seoul does not officially provide military aid to Ukraine — South Korea provides humanitarian and financial assistance.

South Korean President Yoon Seokyeol said that Korea could transfer lethal weapons to Ukraine as early as April 2023. But he named several conditions: "a large-scale attack on civilians, a massacre or a serious violation of the laws of war." South Korea has a rich fleet of tanks, armored vehicles and artillery of its own production, as well as large reserves of ammunition.

Meanwhile, North Korea for the first time commented on the information about sending its soldiers to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine.

"Regarding the so-called military cooperation with Russia, my delegation does not see the need to comment on baseless stereotypical rumors aimed at tarnishing the image of the DPRK and undermining the legitimate, friendly and partnership relations between the two sovereign states," said North Koreaʼs representative to the UN during the meeting of the first committee of the UN General Assembly on disarmament and international security.

Participation of the North Korean military in the war against Ukraine

On October 4, Kyiv Post, citing Ukrainian intelligence, reported that six North Korean officers were killed in an attack by the Armed Forces near occupied Donetsk the day before. An anonymous Ukrainian official told The Guardian that North Korean military engineers are helping Russian troops strike Ukraine with North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles.

Already on October 8, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yonghyun said that the agreements between Russia and North Korea resemble a military alliance, therefore there is a high probability that the military from the DPRK is fighting on the side of the Russian Federation in Ukraine — and their number may increase. In a few days, President Zelensky confirmed that North Korea supplies Russia not only with weapons, but also with personnel for the military forces.

On October 15, Babel sources in the Intelligence (known as GUR) stated that a "special Buryat battalion" staffed by citizens of the DPRK is being formed at the base of the 11th separate airborne assault brigade of the Russian Federation.

On October 18, the head of GUR Kyrylo Budanov said that about 11 000 North Korean soldiers are being trained in the Russian Federation for war against Ukraine. Soon after that, videos of North Koreans training at Russian training grounds began to appear on the Internet, and Babel sources said that they were being trained in such cities as Khabarovsk, Usuriysk, Blagoveshchensk, and Vladivostok. Subsequently, the intelligence of South Korea told in detail how North Korea supplies Russia with military personnel and equipment.

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