The West has shown “zero” reaction to the alleged movement of North Korean troops into Russia, which means that Pyongyang may send as many as 100,000 troops to fight Kiev, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has claimed.
Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops on its soil, saying merely that its cooperation with Pyongyang proceeds according to a defense partnership treaty.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is “testing the reaction of NATO nations” and South Korea, Zelensky said in an interview with South Korean national broadcaster KBS, which was released on Thursday.
“I believe that the reaction so far has been nothing, zero,” he complained.
The Pentagon assessed this week that North Korea had sent 10,000 troops to Russia, some of whom were heading to Kursk Region, where Kiev launched an incursion in August. President Joe Biden has said that Kiev should attack the North Korean troops should they “cross into Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian military reports 3,000 North Korean soldiers being in Kursk, Zelensky said, urging a stronger response by foreign backers. He claimed his forces could face a much stronger opponent otherwise.
“Whether it would be 3,000, 10,000 or 100,000 depends directly on the reaction,” he said. “If the reaction is weak, there will be more of them.”
South Korea should be worried about the experience in modern warfare that North Korean troops would gain fighting against Ukraine, Zelensky warned. The Ukrainian leader argued that it would be in Seoul’s interests to supply Kiev with weapons, which the South Korean government is considering doing, to test them in actual battle conditions.
South Korea is a military ally of the US and also has a security partnership with Japan. In 2023, its defense spending of $48.3 billion was estimated to be more than 30 times that of North Korea’s.
Earlier this year, Russia signed a bilateral treaty with North Korea containing mutual defense provisions. How Moscow and Pyongyang deliver on their mutual commitments is up to them, Putin stressed last week.
After almost three months of fighting, the Kursk assault has cost Ukraine almost 29,000 troops, according to the latest figures from the Russian Defense Ministry.