South Korea’s National Intelligence Service confirmed on Sunday that a North Korean special operations brigade of approximately 1,500 troops has been embedded with Russian forces in western Ukraine — the first official confirmation that North Korean personnel are directly participating in combat operations alongside Russian units.
NIS chief Cho Kyoung-tae told a closed-door parliamentary briefing that the troops, drawn from the 11th Storm Corps, were operating near Kharkiv as part of a Russian assault formation. Cho said the brigade had been deployed in late May and had already sustained casualties, with an estimated 200 North Korean soldiers killed or wounded in fighting over the past two weeks.
“This is not advisory. This is not training. These are combat troops fighting and dying on the front lines,” Cho told lawmakers, according to two officials who attended the briefing. The NIS said it had obtained satellite imagery and signals intelligence confirming the deployment.
South Korea’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador and demanded the immediate withdrawal of North Korean forces from Ukraine. “This represents an unacceptable escalation,” the ministry said in a statement. “We call on Russia to cease this deployment immediately.”
NATO secretary general Mark Rutte called the deployment “a significant escalation that changes the nature of this conflict” and said the alliance was “assessing the implications for European security.” The US National Security Council said it was “deeply concerned” and was coordinating with allies on a response.
North Korea’s state media called the reports “fabricated Western propaganda” and denied any involvement in the Ukraine conflict. The Korean Central News Agency said the allegations were “a desperate attempt by the US and its vassal states to justify their own military adventurism.”
Russia’s foreign ministry declined to comment directly, but spokesperson Maria Zakharova said “all questions regarding the conduct of the special military operation should be directed to the Russian Defence Ministry.” The Defence Ministry has not responded to requests for comment.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said in a statement that Ukrainian forces had “identified and engaged” North Korean units in the Kharkiv sector. “They fight differently from Russian units — more disciplined in some respects, less well-equipped in others,” Budanov said.
The deployment raises profound questions about the North Korea-Russia relationship. Analysts said the dispatch of combat troops went far beyond the ammunition and artillery supplies that Pyongyang has previously provided to Moscow, and suggested a deepening military partnership.
South Korean officials said they were particularly concerned about what North Korea might receive in return. “The fear is that Russia will share advanced weapons technology — including nuclear delivery systems — with Pyongyang in exchange for North Korean blood,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.
The South Korean won fell 0.6 per cent against the dollar on the news, while the KOSPI dropped 1.2 per cent. Defence stocks rose, with Hanwha Aerospace gaining 3.1 per cent.
Sources: Yonhap, Reuters, AP, BBC, The Guardian, NK News, Seoul Shinmun, JoongAng Ilbo.
Written by Kenji Tanaka, Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief
Kenji Tanaka
Kenji Tanaka covers Asia Pacific security, technology, and geopolitics from Tokyo.