In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Pyongyang to discuss a security partnership with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

There had previously been rumors about extensive North Korean arms deliveries to Russia. And as early as 2023, Ukrainian military intelligence reported that a limited North Korean military contingent had arrived in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Recent findings from the South Korean Secret Service (NIS) indicate that North Korean-Russian relations have reached a new high.

North Korean soldiers in Russia

According to a report published last Friday, Pyongyang wants to contribute up to 12,000 soldiers to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Of these, 1,500 are said to have already disembarked in the Russian port city of Vladivostok. The NIS has now increased this number to around 3,000 soldiers.

Apparently North Korean soldiers are supposed to be given Russian uniforms to hide their identity. DW’s fact-checking team was able to confirm that the footage provided by the NIS shows locations in Russia’s eastern military districts.

Neither Russia nor North Korea have yet officially confirmed the results.

“At the moment there is hardly any concrete information and a lot of vague speculation,” Nico Lange, senior fellow at the Munich Security Conference, told DW.

“But there is no doubt that North Koreans are in Russia for training,” he added. “And there is also no doubt that (…) construction units of the North Korean armed forces have been active in the occupied territories in Ukraine for some time.”

However, he also cautions against drawing the conclusion that 12,000 North Korean soldiers are currently fighting in Russian trenches across Ukraine. “This is not what we have observed so far,” he said.

Western restraint

However, from a Ukrainian perspective, this is all still a worrying development.

While Russian President Putin presented himself as a respectable host at the BRICS summit this week, Kiev is increasingly concerned about dwindling support for Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan” has not yet been implemented. In addition, Ukraine fears that the Republican candidate Donald Trump, who wants to cut defense aid and recently blamed the Ukrainian president for Russia’s invasion, will win the US presidential election in early November.

It currently remains to be seen how the USA will deal with an escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine. After all, Washington is not only Ukraine’s biggest supporter, but also a protective power for South Korea.

The US was the first NATO member to point to “evidence” of the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. But beyond that, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has remained tight-lipped.

North Korea-Russia relations are likely to be an issue for the incoming US administration – be it under Republican or Democratic leadership.

Lange believes that Europe is waiting for the outcome of the US elections.

“At the moment I don’t see the major European states coming together to develop a common strategy: What do we want to achieve in Ukraine? How will we deal with Russia and Russia’s supporters? How can we achieve this together? “That’s what we would need,” he said.

Europe’s failure

NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhallah told DW in Brussels on Wednesday that if North Korean troops were actually deployed to fight in Ukraine, “it would be a significant escalation of North Korea’s support for Russia’s illegal war and a further sign of Russia’s significant losses in the war.” Front means.” Lines.” She added that the alliance was actively consulting on this matter.

According to Roderich Kiesewetter of the CDU, Germany’s largest opposition party in the Bundestag, it is a “fatal omission” that Europe has not yet responded to North Korea’s alleged deployment of troops.

A joint and decisive response of strength and deterrence is absolutely necessary, he told DW. “Many European countries have wanted this for a long time,” he added. Germany must also change its stance by reducing the range restrictions for weapons supplied, making more weapon systems available to Ukraine and extending an invitation to join the NATO alliance.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office in Berlin summoned North Korea’s chargé d’affaires on Wednesday. At the meeting, Berlin made it clear that supporting Russia’s war of aggression represented a threat to German security and peace in Europe.

Temporary bindings

In early October, as signs of closer Russian-North Korean cooperation began to grow, DW spoke to Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul.

“Russia could benefit from this to avoid mobilization,” he told DW, adding: “If you look at it from a Russian perspective, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is waging a war that is generally popular in Russia, but only “The only condition is that the majority of the population is kept away from the fighting and is not “disturbed” from their everyday lives by the war.”

He believes fewer and fewer men in Russia are willing to risk their lives, even for financial benefits like those offered in army contracts.

North Korea, on the other hand, wants money and technology to send its soldiers.

“Currently, a private in the Russian military receives $2,000 (1,850 euros) per month plus an enlistment bonus that can be up to $20,000 (18,500 euros). If North Korea receives half of that amount for every soldier it provides, then Pyongyang will be very happy,” Lankow said.

In addition, North Korea has its eye on Russia’s modern technology.

“Under other circumstances, Russia would never be willing to share technology with such an unstable country, but now it has no choice,” Lankov added.

However, in his opinion, this cooperation is not intended to last. Instead, after the end of the war in Ukraine, Lankov expected relations to return to their previous level, since North Korea was no longer of economic interest to Moscow.

Rayna Breuer contributed to this article, which was translated from German.