"North Korea Deploys 10,000 Troops to Russia"... Foreign Currency Earnings Begin in Earnest Due to War

North Korea-Russia Mutual Defense Treaty Soon to be Ratified... Permanent Troop Deployment
War Becomes New Foreign Currency Earner for North Korea... Troop Deployment Scale Expected to Increase

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As reports spread from local Ukrainian media that North Korea has deployed 10,000 soldiers to Russia, assessments are emerging that the military ties between the two countries have been further strengthened following Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea in June and the signing of a mutual military assistance treaty. Concerns are also rising that the scale of troop deployment will significantly increase as the Russia-Ukraine war becomes a new source of foreign currency earnings for North Korea.

Large-scale troop deployment following weapons and ammunition... Deepening military ties with Russia

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 15th (local time), the Kyiv Independent, a local Ukrainian media outlet, cited a Western diplomat familiar with military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, reporting that "North Korea has dispatched 10,000 troops to Russia," but added, "However, it is unclear what their military specialties are and what roles they are playing after deployment."

Earlier, another local media outlet, Kyiv Post, citing Ukrainian military sources, reported that "the Russian military is organizing the Buryat Special Battalion composed of North Korean soldiers within the 11th Air Assault Brigade," estimating the battalion's strength at about 3,000 personnel currently receiving small arms and ammunition supplies. It also mentioned that the battalion could be stationed in Kursk Oblast in mainland Russia.

There have even been reports from local media that North Korean soldiers already deployed to the battlefield have deserted. Recently, 18 North Korean soldiers deployed to the Ukrainian front reportedly deserted their units near the border between Kursk Oblast and Bryansk Oblast, approximately 7 km from the Ukrainian border.

John Kirby, National Security Communications Coordinator at the White House National Security Council (NSC), expressed concern over the flood of reports about North Korean troops being deployed in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, stating, "if it is true that North Korean soldiers are fighting for Russia, it indicates a significant strengthening of North Korea-Russia defense relations." However, Russia has completely denied these reports of North Korean troop deployments.

Claims that North Korea has deployed combat troops to Russia have been continuously raised since early this month following reports of North Korean casualties on the eastern front of Ukraine. CNN reported on the 3rd that six North Korean soldiers died in a Ukrainian missile attack in the Donetsk area of eastern Ukraine. It is presumed that these North Korean soldiers were dispatched to oversee the quality control of ammunition and other supplies provided to Russia.

Labor dispatched to construction sites in Ukrainian occupied territories... A new source of foreign currency

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

There is growing evidence that the war Russia is waging against Ukraine is being exploited as a new source of foreign currency for North Korea. North Korea is dispatching many workers not only to the Ukrainian battlefields but also to restoration projects in Russian-occupied territories.

According to The New York Times (NYT), North Korea sent about 150 workers to the Donbas region of Ukraine, which is occupied by Russia, in April. It is known that the Russian government previously requested the deployment of 2,000 North Korean workers to the area. For North Korea, facing severe economic difficulties due to prolonged sanctions, this represents a new avenue for earning foreign currency.

With the prolonged war increasing war-weariness among Russian citizens, the likelihood of the Russian government relying more heavily on North Korean labor has grown. The Washington Post (WP) explained, "The Putin regime needs to issue a new mobilization order to recruit troops for the Ukrainian front, but there is a political burden. To avoid this, they may have requested manpower support from North Korea. If North Korean troops continue to be deployed, Russia can avoid additional conscription and send reservists mobilized for the war back home."