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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Oct. 10 dismissed reports of North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine, telling reporters that it was “another bit of fake news.”
Earlier in October, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun told lawmakers that North Korea was likely planning to send troops to Ukraine to fight alongside Russia.
When asked about a recent report by Ukrainian media that North Korean soldiers were killed and injured near occupied Donetsk, Kim said that it was also likely true.
The group of North Korean soldiers arrived in the Russian-held part of Ukraine to exchange experience with their Russian counterparts, Interfax-Ukraine reported on Oct. 4, citing a military intelligence source. Six were reportedly killed and three injured in a missile attack.
Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened military cooperation as Russia seeks arms and other support in its full-scale war against Ukraine. In recent weeks, claims of a more direct North Korean presence in Ukraine have increased.
The Guardian reported on Oct. 10, citing an unnamed source in Ukraine, that there are “dozens of North Koreans behind Russian lines” to assist with the launching of Pyongyang-supplied Kn-23 ballistic missiles.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, told AFP that the deployment of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine could be viewed from Pyongyang as an opportunity for its military to learn “how to handle different weapons and gain real-world combat experience.”
“This might even be a driving factor behind sending North Korean soldiers—to provide them with diverse experiences and wartime training.”
There have also been reports of North Korean military or police personnel traveling to join “reconstruction efforts” in occupied Donbas in early 2023 and plans to send military trainers in July this year.
The two countries signed a mutual defense pact during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang earlier this year.
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