North Korean Military Allegedly Fighting in Ukraine, Tensions Increase With South Korea

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russian military forces in Ukraine. Zelensky claimed the North Korea-Russia alliance increases the threat of the war escalating, stating in a video address posted on X:

We see the growing alliance between Russia and regimes like that of North Korea. This is no longer just about the transfer of weapons. It is, in fact, about the transfer of people from North Korea to the occupying forces.

Yesterday, RT reported Russian President Vladimir Putin requested the Russian State Duma ratify a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during a visit to Pyongyang, North Korea, in June.

While North Korea’s relationship with Russia is growing stronger, its relations with South Korea continue to deteriorate. Yesterday, North Korea’s forces destroyed a section of rail lines connecting the two Koreas in response to balloons floated into North Korea distributing South Korean propaganda.

In response to the increased hostility, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said South Korea should cease further escalation, stating in a Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs post on Telegram:

In recent days, tensions on the Korean Peninsula has markedly escalated. According to official statements from Pyongyang, the territory of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), including its capital, has experienced unprecedented incursions by unmanned aerial vehicles originating from the Republic of Korea, which have been disseminating propaganda materials. Such actions by Seoul can only be interpreted as a flagrant violation of the DPRK’s sovereignty and interference in its internal affairs, aimed at undermining the legitimate political and government system of an independent state and depriving it of its right to sovereign development. The South Korean authorities should take Pyongyang’s warnings very seriously and cease further escalation on the peninsula through their reckless and provocative campaign, which exacerbates tension and could lead to actual armed confrontations.