Seoul: South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun announced on Thursday that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia have been integrated into the Russian military at the platoon level. He expressed concerns over the high likelihood of these troops being utilized as “cannon fodder” in perilous areas, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Defense Minister highlighted that since the conflict is being led by Russia, commanders of Russian military units might assign North Korean platoons to the most dangerous and challenging zones. Kim shared these insights during a session with the parliamentary defense committee. His statements followed reports from Ukrainian officials suggesting that North Korean soldiers in Russia are being integrated into military units composed of ethnic minorities or are being disguised as indigenous people.
Regarding the potential provision of weapons to Kyiv, Kim stated that South Korea intends to “work in solidarity with the international community
,” avoiding a direct commitment to supplying arms.
The previous day, a Ukrainian delegation headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov visited South Korea for discussions with President Yoon Suk Yeol, National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik, and Kim. The delegation exchanged intelligence on the expanding military collaboration between Russia and North Korea and deliberated on joint responses to emerging security threats, as reported by the presidential office. However, specifics about the intelligence shared and whether there was a request for South Korean weapons aid were not disclosed.