North Korea will send its engineering troops to the occupied territories of Ukraine to participate in “reconstruction works,” reported South Korean TV Chosun, citing sources. Military construction and engineering forces will arrive in the seized part of Donetsk as early as July.
North Korean forces are reportedly set to assist in rebuilding infrastructure in occupied Donetsk. Russia is expected to pay an annual US$115 million for 3-4 engineering brigades; North Korea has 10 such brigades. “Russia appears to be pursuing a coalition of friendly states with historically warm ties to the Soviet Union, including North Korea and Vietnam, to form the basis of an alternative world order,” the Institute for the Study of War reports.
North Korean engineering support could free up Russian combat power for operations along the front line and support Russian efforts to expand military infrastructure and defensive fortifications in the occupied territories of Ukraine, the review says.
The United States has stated it will monitor possible North Korean troop movements to Russia for involvement in war on Ukraine. “I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine,” said Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder.
Earlier, it was reported that South Korea may initiate lethal weapon deliveries to Ukraine in response to increased cooperation between Russia and North Korea. The country’s government will review its position, Yonhap reported.
On June 19, the leaders of North Korea and Russia, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin, signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in Pyongyang, elevating relations between the two countries to an allied level.
The Russia-North Korea agreement on “comprehensive strategic partnership” indicates increased cooperation between authoritarian regimes and underscores the need for unity among democracies, said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
Cover: Kim Won Jin Kim Won Jin / AFP via Getty Images
