North Korea could deploy additional troops to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine as early as July or August, and Pyongyang continues to supply weapons to Russia.
This was stated by South Korean parliamentarians, citing an intelligence briefing, Reuters reports.
South Koreaʼs National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes that Russia may be preparing for a large-scale offensive against Ukraine in July or August, South Korean lawmaker Lee Song-gyun told reporters after a closed-door briefing.
"The time for additional deployment is probably as early as July or August," Lee said, adding that the agency cited a new phase of troop mobilization in North Korea and a recent visit by a senior Russian Security Council official to Pyongyang as grounds for its assessment.
In exchange for artillery shells and missiles that North Korea supplies to Russia, Pyongyang is likely receiving technical advice on launching satellites and missile guidance systems, Lee said.
The Union of Russia and the DPRK
Russia is using North Korean soldiers in the war with Ukraine — the first of them arrived at the front in October 2024, when it was about 12 thousand people. And in March 2025, North Korea sent another 3 thousand soldiers.
At first, both sides denied this, but on April 26 of this year, Russia officially acknowledged for the first time the participation of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine. Two days later, North Korea also confirmed that its troops were participating in Russiaʼs full-scale war against Ukraine, including fighting on the Kursk Bulge.
South Korean lawmakers, citing intelligence, stated that as of April, the DPRK had lost approximately 4 700 of its 15 000 fighters, 600 of whom were killed.
In addition to manpower, the DPRK provides Russia with weapons. As early as January 4, 2024, Western media wrote that Russia had received a batch of ballistic missiles from the DPRK (several dozen) and launchers for them. On the same day, the US officially stated that Russia had short-range ballistic missiles from the DPRK and had launched them over Ukraine.
The head of the GUR Kyrylo Budanov said in January 2025 that North Korea plans to send another 150 ballistic missiles to Russia this year.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won Sik said in an interview with Bloomberg on June 14 that North Korea had sent containers to Russia that could hold nearly 5 million artillery shells, but Moscow needed more.
Earlier, in April, Reuters reported that North Korea had handed over up to 6 million shells to Russia. Without them, Russia would not have been able to wage war so actively. At some points last year, the majority of shells used by individual Russian units were North Korean. In some places, it was 100%. The publication noted that this was Russiaʼs most significant direct military assistance in the war.
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