North Korea readies more troops for Russia, but deployment not imminent

South Korea's Defence Ministry reported that North Korea is continuing preparations for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but currently sees no imminent signs of such a deployment, according to a South Korean lawmaker's office. This assessment followed North Korea's Kim Yo Jong's denial last week of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's claim that Pyongyang intended to send up to 50,000 more troops to Russia to support Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The South Korean Defence Ministry disclosed that North Korea has persistently supplied weapons systems to Russia, including short-range ballistic missiles, with an estimated total of over 15 million rounds of artillery ammunition supplied, equivalent to 152-millimetre shells. The lawmaker's office, citing a South Korean Defense Intelligence Agency assessment, further mentioned that North Korean missiles used in the Ukraine conflict might have seen improvements in accuracy through battlefield data, Russian technical advice, and component support.

Moreover, the ministry stated that some North Korean ballistic missiles and multiple rocket launchers, deemed intended for use in a conflict with South Korea, are nearing completion. Specifically, the North Korean Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam, is being prepared for operational deployment, as per the lawmaker's office.

North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles have the capability to reach the U.S. mainland, the ministry noted, though precise technologies such as warhead re-entry have not been confirmed due to all test launches occurring along lofted trajectories. The South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western assessments indicate that North Korea and Russia have significantly strengthened their military cooperation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Supplying artillery ammunition and missiles since 2023, and deploying troops from 2024, North Korea and Russia have been denied arms transfers by Moscow and Pyongyang.