South Korea considers sending personnel to Ukraine as North deploys troops to Russia

South Korea is considering sending military and intelligence personnel to Ukraine in response to North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Russia, South Korean media reported on 21 October 2024, according to Newsweek.

In June, Russian and North Korean rulers, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, signed an agreement, pledging mutual defense assistance in the event that either country is invaded and engaged in war. South Korea, limiting support for Ukraine to non-lethal aid like humanitarian supplies, previously signaled several times that Seoul might consider providing weapons.

The report, citing an unnamed South Korean intelligence official, says that Seoul is “reviewing a plan to send an appropriate number of personnel, including intelligence officers and experts in enemy tactics” to Ukraine. These personnel would assist with interrogations and provide interpretation services if North Korean soldiers are captured by Ukrainian forces.

According to Newsweek, South Korea’s Defense Ministry indicated on 21 October that it would consider supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine with “an open attitude.” This marks a potential shift from Seoul’s previous position of providing only humanitarian aid to Kyiv.

The South Korean intelligence agency reported that North Korea has decided to send 12,000 special forces troops to support Russia, with 1,500 already positioned in the Russian Far East.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently raised concerns about North Korea’s military involvement, stating that Pyongyang has “an intention to prepare 10,000 soldiers from different branches of the armed forces” to fight alongside Russia against Ukraine. He warned that this could be “the first step to a world war.”

The Kremlin declined to comment on 21 October regarding Russia’s alleged plans to use North Korean soldiers, claiming they “see a lot of contradictory information” from South Korea and the US.

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