Around 10,000 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea combat troops are in russia. It is almost certain some have already deployed to Kursk region, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Russia and North Korea have committed to deepening their bilateral partnership with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which includes a mutual defense clause, and was ratified by the russian State Duma on October 24, 2024. For russia, North Korea’s military support to its war in Ukraine has highly likely been the core driver for the partnership and has, until now, centred around North Korea’s provision of arms. In return, North Korea has received high level international support from russia and has secured a trading partner willing to break sanctions.
Read more: South Korea Signals Possible Increase in Support for Ukraine Amid Deployment of North Korean Troops Near Border — ISW
Russian and North Korean forces would almost certainly experience interoperability difficulties having not previously carried out joint military exercises. North Korea’s troops conducting combat operations would almost certainly have issues operating russian equipment, integrating into russia’s command and control structure, and working around the language barrier with russian forces.
Read more: Ukrainian Intelligence Releases List of Weapons for North Korean Troops in Ukraine: Phoenix ATGMs, RPG-70, and 60mm Mortars
