South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun said at the Pentagon on Wednesday that North Korea is highly likely to request advanced nuclear weapons technology from Moscow in exchange for the deployment of troops to assist Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
Kim, with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, stated that North Korea is likely to ask Russia for technology transfers related to tactical nuclear weapons, the improvement of North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites, and nuclear submarines.
South Korea has been issuing warnings for weeks regarding North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia. On Monday, it provided NATO allies with intelligence regarding the troop movements. South Korea has significantly increased its intelligence sharing with the alliance in recent weeks as their apprehensions regarding North Korean activities have intensified.
Last week, the U.S. independently verified that North Korea had sent thousands of troops to Russia for military training. This week, the U.S. revised its initial estimate from 3,000 to 10,000. South Korea reports that they have dispatched 13,000.
The level of assistance that the North Koreans can provide to the Russians in combat is yet uncertain. North Korea’s military has not engaged in a real conflict in more than seventy years. According to intelligence analysts, the North Korean government sent them primarily to obtain combat experience.
When asked on Wednesday whether South Korea will start giving military aid to the Ukrainians to help counter the North Koreans, Kim, the defense minister of South Korea, did not give a direct answer. This would go against the South Koreans’ long-standing policy of not arming countries at war.
