South Korea said Tuesday it would consider supplying arms to Kyiv after Seoul’s spy agency alleged that North Korea has sent up to 3,000 special forces soldiers to Russia to assist with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, fusing together European and Asian security anxieties and raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The troop transfer would represent a marked escalation in the menacing marriage of convenience between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which has already seen Pyongyang ship ammunition, missiles, and military hardware to Moscow in exchange for food, oil, and cash.
Putin made a rare trip to North Korea in June and elevated the two countries’ relationship to the highest level of Moscow’s diplomatic commitment, in addition to reviving a mutual defence agreement.
Seoul is now worried that North Korea could receive sensitive military technology transfers from Russia and has pledged to take countermeasures “based on progress in military co-operation between Moscow and Pyongyang.”
The U.S. confirmed South Korea’s reports on Wednesday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called it a “very, very serious issue,” impacting “not only Europe, [but] the Indo-Pacific." Pyongyang labelled the reports “groundless rumours.”
Russia ‘shaking the rule-based order’: Yoon
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday, telling the newly appointed NATO chief that, "Russia's invasion of Ukraine and reckless military connection with North Korea are fundamentally shaking the rule-based international order,” and threaten peace on the Korean Peninsula and across the world.
During the call, NATO requested a briefing from South Korean officials on the reported troop movements. South Korea is one of NATO’s ‘Indo-Pacific Four’ partners, along with Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Leaders of all four countries attended the most recent NATO heads of state summit in Washington, D.C., in July.
Russia’s aid to North Korea also extends to multilateral bodies: in March, Moscow vetoed the renewal of UN sanctions-monitoring activities against North Korea. This month, 11 countries — including South Korea, Canada, and the U.S. — established the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team to continue the work of the now-disbanded UN panel.
Relations go up in smoke
In a dramatic display last week, North Korea blew up unused roads and rail lines previously linking the North and South. Days later, Pyongyang revised its constitution to label South Korea “a hostile state” for the first time.
Kim doubled down on the provocative language Friday, framing bilateral relations between the two countries as “evil.”
Some analysts suspect Kim’s bluster may be an attempt to attract attention in the leadup to the U.S. presidential election.
