Earlier, Ukraine’s ambassador to South Korea, Dmytro Ponomarenko, shared similar concerns, predicting an initial 15,000 North Korean troops could deploy to Russia’s Kursk region and occupied areas of eastern Ukraine, rotating every few months, Bloomberg reported.

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Ukraine’s allies raise concern

This development has raised concerns among Ukraine’s allies, who see North Korea’s potential involvement as a major escalation in the conflict, with possible implications for regional security. Western nations worry that closer ties between Moscow and Pyongyang could destabilise the Indo-Pacific, already strained by China-US tensions.

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The issue is expected to be a key topic at the upcoming G20 Summit in Brazil. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed his concerns directly to Russian president Vladimir Putin, warning that deploying North Korean troops would mark a serious escalation.

Scholz plans to discuss the issue further with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Rio, urging Beijing to leverage its influence with North Korea and Russia to prevent further escalation.

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China, a close ally to both Russia and North Korea, has not commented publicly on North Korea’s possible military support for Moscow. Jinping, who has generally avoided conflict on the Korean Peninsula, may see North Korea’s involvement as a liability amid already tense US-China relations.

Reports indicate that North Korea has already sent over 10,000 troops to the Kursk region, along with weapons and artillery. South Korea believes Pyongyang may also seek advanced technology transfers from Russia in return, such as tactical nuclear weaponry and missile systems.

(Inputs from Bloomberg)