South Korea has announced it may consider supplying arms to Ukraine in response to reports that North Korea is allegedly dispatching troops to support Russia’s efforts in the ongoing conflict.
This development follows South Korean intelligence claims that North Korea has sent 1,500 special forces personnel to Russia’s Far East for training, with the possibility of combat deployment in Ukraine. Both North Korea and Russia have denied the allegations of troop movements.
In a statement Tuesday, South Korean officials labeled the growing military collaboration between Russia and North Korea as a potential international threat. According to Yonhap News Agency, a senior official from Korea President office suggested South Korea is exploring options to provide Ukraine with “weapons for defense and attack,” a move NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called a “significant escalation” in regional security concerns.
South Korean officials consider the alliance between Russia and North Korea a security threat, fearing Moscow may reward Pyongyang with advanced weapons technology that could enhance North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
After an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, South Korean officials strongly condemned North Korea’s actions, labeling Pyongyang’s reported troop support for Russia as “a serious threat to security” and likening its conduct to that of “a criminal organization.
In a statement, South Korea’s National Security Council urged the immediate withdrawal of North Korean forces from Russia, promising “phased countermeasures” that would escalate in response to further North Korea-Russia military cooperation. Diplomatic, economic, and military options are under consideration, including the potential provision of defensive and offensive arms to Ukraine if necessary.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, South Korea has joined U.S.-led sanctions against Moscow and provided humanitarian aid to Kyiv, but it has refrained from directly supplying arms to Ukraine.
However, the strengthening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang are raising concerns in Seoul, with some officials now suggesting that South Korea’s strategic calculations may be shifting in light of the escalating military alliance.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has reported that North Korea has shipped over 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles, and other military equipment to Russia since August 2023 to support Russia’s depleted armament reserves. Both North Korea and Russia, however, have denied any exchange of arms or troop deployments, dismissing the claims as unfounded. Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, at a recent Security Council meeting, rejected these allegations, asserting that Western claims about Iran, China, and North Korea supplying arms to Russia were “scaremongering.”
At a separate U.N. session, a North Korean diplomat echoed these denials, labeling the reports of troop dispatch as “groundless, stereotype rumors” intended to tarnish North Korea’s image and strain legitimate bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N., Robert Wood, emphasized the potential risks associated with North Korean troop involvement, noting that Washington is consulting with allies to address any possible security concerns.
