Senior Policy Director John Erath wrote an op-ed in 38 North about North Korean troops in Russia.
On October 17, South Korean intelligence disclosed that several thousand North Korean troops had apparently begun training in Russia, presumably for deployment to Ukraine. This was later confirmed by other reporting, including the US Department of Defense. There are several reasons why such an arrangement might be considered beneficial by both countries—and concerning to the rest of the world. After the two governments signed a mutual defense treaty in June 2024, this news highlights the cooperation but raises questions about why the world’s third-largest army, which outnumbers its adversary considerably and has been promoting a narrative that it is winning, needs help at this time. The appearance of North Korean forces in Russia points to both a deepening of security cooperation between dictatorships and increasing desperation on the Russian side.
What Is in It for Russia
Obviously, part of the answer is that Russia is not winning, at least not to the degree that Vladimir Putin would have the world believe, but it should also be increasingly clear that Moscow really needs help. Generally, there are three ways in which the North Korean deployment can help Russia. The most mundane way is labor. Despite the North Korean troops involved being labeled “special forces,” they are less experienced in battle and generally trained on older equipment than the Russian and Ukrainian forces that have been fighting for over two years. The North Koreans might be seen as more suited to low-skilled labor than combat roles. Employing North Koreans for manual labor could free up Russians for military duties and help keep defense industry production. Russia is already experiencing labor shortages and has tried to recruit workers from South Asian countries to fill vacant jobs. Read more
