North Korea may receive military equipment from Russia in exchange for sending troops to Ukraine: analysts

North Korea’s latest troop deployment in Russia has raised concerns about further escalation in both Ukraine and the Korean peninsula, where the two Koreas are technically still at war.

Cha Doo-hyun, chief research fellow at South Korea’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said Seoul faces two main challenges: the North gaining experience in warfare and the possibility that Russia will transfer nuclear or missile technology to Pyongyang in return.

“If North Korean troops are indeed deployed, it means that they will have modern combat experience from the war in Ukraine, which ultimately poses an indirect threat to South Korea,” he said.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s office said Pyongyang’s involvement posed a “big threat” to its security, adding that Seoul could begin supplying weapons to Ukraine if North Korean troops join the war with Russia.

Observers worried that following this precedent, the Kremlin might also invite troops from other countries it has significant influence over, such as Belarus or Syria, to fight its war.

However, on the other side of the battlefield, it is currently unlikely that Ukraine’s allies will send infantry to help Kiev, Ritchie said.