At Least 8,000 North Korean Troops Sent to Ukraine War; 10,000 More May Be Deployed

[Financial News]  Claims have emerged that North Korea, which began sending troops to the war in Ukraine in 2024, plans to send an additional 10,000 troops. At least 8,000 North Korean troops are already reportedly deployed on the front lines.
According to the Ukrainian outlet The Kyiv Independent on the 28th, local time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the claim in an address to the nation that day.
He said, "More than 8,000 North Korean troops are in Russian territory, and preparations are underway to deploy an additional force of 10,000." Zelenskyy claimed, "Russia is providing technology and other support in exchange for the deployment of North Korean troops," adding, "Shahed attack drones are being produced in North Korean territory with Russia's technical assistance." He continued, "This is how evil spreads, and how threats to human life spread to other regions," emphasizing, "We can overcome this only by responding together."
That same day, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, also mentioned North Korean troops on social media and claimed, "North Korea is learning from our war and arming itself." He said North Korea was learning above all "to prepare for active combat in its own territory."
Budanov noted, "Very recently, another incident occurred along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) between South Korea and North Korea," adding, "The situation is worsening with each passing day." He claimed, "It is only a matter of time before an incident occurs that could lead to uncontrollable consequences."
The "incident" he referred to appears to have been a suspected mine explosion in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) this month. On the 21st, an incident suspected to have been a mine explosion occurred during a search operation in the DMZ at a frontline unit of the Army's 25th Infantry Division, which is responsible for the western front. Three South Korean military officers suffered moderate to serious injuries. The South Korean military said there was a very high likelihood that the explosion was caused by mines laid by North Korean troops, adding that it would take "corresponding measures" if the mines were ultimately determined to have been planted by North Korea.
Budanov also wrote, "North Korea is improving its weapons based on its combat experience in Ukraine," adding, "It is introducing new types of weapons, some of which are Russian-made."
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy did not mention the repatriation to South Korea of North Korean prisoners of war captured in January in his address that day. At the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 23rd, he disclosed that two North Korean prisoners of war had been repatriated to South Korea. In response, the South Korean government protested, saying that Ukraine had violated a confidential agreement by unilaterally disclosing the repatriation while denying the very existence of the agreement. On the 28th, it summoned Andrii Vieshkin, the acting ambassador of Ukraine to South Korea, to lodge a protest.

[email protected] Park Jong-won Reporter