Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers an address on July 25, 2026, in which he reveals that Russia “wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea.” (via the Office of the President of Ukraine)
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia “wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea.” Although the veracity of this statement has not been confirmed, it is clear that diplomacy is alive and well between Moscow and Pyongyang, with North Korea’s top diplomat recently paying a visit to the Russian capital. Should North Korea decide to once again send a sizable number of troops after the initial deployment in 2024, it would further strengthen the Russia-North Korean alliance and increase the risk of North Korea receiving military technology that threatens South Korea’s national security. This could have a severe impact on South Korea’s national security, so it is imperative that Seoul communicate closely with allies and make a united response.In a public address on Saturday, Zelenskyy claimed that Russia was seeking additional troops from North Korea, noting that “since June, preparations have been underway in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive them.” “Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them,” he continued. “All of this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within range of North Korean missiles.”It appears this message was aimed at preemptively containing the deployment of additional troops while at the same time seeking solidarity with countries exposed to the North Korean threat, such as South Korea and Japan. Back in 2024, Zelenskyy was also the first to announce the initial deployment of North Korean troops.The reason this warning is concerning is that Russia, plagued by severe troop shortages, has clearly been seeking to strengthen relations with North Korea in recent times. In January, the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies revealed that Russian casualties since the war broke out amounted to 1.4 million, including 450,000 deaths. Russia also faces growing economic woes due to significant damage dealt by Ukrainian drone attacks to important industrial facilities, such as oil infrastructure. Against this backdrop, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui to Moscow on July 19, where he declared that North Korea’s continued help “would not be forgotten.” If Russia did request a second deployment of troops, it is likely that the details were hashed out in the “strategic talks” between Russian and North Korean diplomats held two days later.On June 30, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun informed his Ukrainian counterpart that Korea will “continue to provide humanitarian support for recovery and rebuilding.” It is currently untenable for South Korea alone to provide lethal aid to Ukraine in an attempt to restrict access between North Korea and Russia. We must accept the severity of the situation for what it is while exploring ways to strengthen our ties with the US and NATO.Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
