This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on Sunday, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov holding hands during a meeting held the previous day in Wonsan, Kangwon Province. (KCNA-Yonhap)
This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on Sunday, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov holding hands during a meeting held the previous day in Wonsan, Kangwon Province. (KCNA-Yonhap)

Deployment of additional North Korean troops likely discussed in latest talks with top Russian diplomat, says expert

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un assured Moscow’s top diplomat that Pyongyang will fully support all actions taken by Russia in its war against Ukraine, the North’s state media said Sunday.

In a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the previous day, Kim "reaffirmed that the DPRK is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis,” the Korean Central News Agency reported. DPRK refers to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The latest meeting between Kim and Lavrov came during the top diplomat’s three-day visit to North Korea amid deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. It also closely follows the US’ decision to resume military supplies to Ukraine, including shipments of critical arms, after a brief pause.

According to the KCNA, the talks between Kim and Lavrov touched on the topic of faithfully implementing the agreements made during the summit between the North Korean leader and Putin in June last year. Pyongyang and Moscow signed a partnership treaty at the time, which includes a mutual defense pact.

Lavrov, who delivered “warm greetings” to Kim on behalf of Putin, expressed willingness to further bolster “the strategic and tactical cooperation” between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Though the KCNA did not report on any discussions of a potential North Korea-Russia summit, Russian state news agency Tass reported that Lavrov relayed to Kim that Putin “hopes for continued direct contact in the very near future.”

South Korea’s intelligence agency said the North has deployed some 13,000 troops and provided conventional weapons to Russia since October last year to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Pyongyang is projected to send additional troops to Russia in July or August, according to the agency last month.

Additionally, the South’s Defense Intelligence Agency claimed that the North has so far provided some 28,000 containers of weapons and artillery shells, in a report submitted to a main opposition People Power Party lawmaker and released Sunday. When calculated in terms of single 152-millimeter shells, this is believed to amount to 12 million rounds, the military intelligence agency under the Defense Ministry explained.

Lavrov’s second strategic dialogue with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui took place on the same day as the meeting between Kim and the top Russian diplomat. According to a statement released by Pyongyang, Lavrov and Choe vowed to advance their cooperation under a partnership treaty signed last year. Both meetings were held at the newly opened Kalma beach resort in the North's eastern coastal city of Wonsan, Kangwon Province.

“The issues of deploying some additional 6,000 North Korean troops to Russia, cooperation on advanced weapons technology and energy, as well as tourism, were likely discussed in Pyongyang’s latest talks with Lavrov,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies.

“The additional deployment is projected to be a sign of an intensified war between Russia and Ukraine," he added.

Russia has ramped up drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, leading to record civilian casualties. Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.


mkjung@heraldcorp.com