SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to South Korea for air-defense support as he warned that as many as additional North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia.
Zelenskyy said in a post on X over the weekend that the number of North Korean personnel appearing in Russia had steadily increased from hundreds to thousands and that a decision had now been made to deploy between 30,000 and 50,000.
The figure marked a sharp increase from his estimate in late July that Russia was preparing to receive another 30,000 North Korean troops. Zelenskyy did not disclose the source of his latest estimate, and the claim has not been independently verified.
"They are studying this war," Zelenskyy wrote, warning that North Korea could carry battlefield lessons learned in Ukraine back to Asia in any future conflict.
He said Ukraine had already found North Korean missiles on its territory and argued that Pyongyang was likely to gain not only combat experience but also military technology and know-how from Russia.
"It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare," he said, adding that Pyongyang could receive Russian licenses and military equipment.
Zelenskyy used the growing Russia-North Korea military partnership to make a direct appeal to Seoul.
He said Ukraine wanted closer cooperation with South Korea and "would very much like to receive support" in an area where Kyiv faces a shortage, identifying air-defense systems in particular.
"We are ready to work on the Drone Deal and other areas as well," he said, adding that Ukrainian diplomats were already in contact with their South Korean counterparts.
Zelenskyy acknowledged what he described as South Korea's legal restrictions on such cooperation.
The South Korean government had not publicly responded to Zelenskyy's latest request as of early Monday.
North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk region beginning in 2024 to help Russian forces repel Ukraine's cross-border incursion, according to South Korean and Ukrainian assessments. Moscow and Pyongyang acknowledged in April 2025 that North Korean forces had fought Ukrainian troops there, ending months of denials and ambiguity surrounding the deployment.
Ukrainian military intelligence estimated earlier about 9,500 North Korean troops remained in Kursk, although they were no longer directly engaged in combat. Russia has also said North Korea would provide 1,000 military engineers for demining and 5,000 military construction workers to rebuild areas damaged by the fighting.
Ukraine's military intelligence also claimed that a roughly 90-member North Korean missile unit had begun deploying to Russia's western Voronezh region and could eventually operate as many as 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes on Ukraine. At least 40 missiles had already been supplied, according to the Ukrainian official.
"We have already found North Korean missiles on the territory of Ukraine. Today, this is already an established fact," Zelenskyy wrote.
His intelligence earlier estimated North Korean supplies account for roughly half the ammunition Russia uses on parts of the front.
The exchange has accelerated since Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in Pyongyang in June 2024, including a provision requiring military and other assistance if either country comes under armed attack. North Korea has since portrayed its intervention in Russia as fulfillment of obligations to a treaty partner.
"If we are talking about crises and escalation in another region — in the Pacific — which could pose a threat to other Asian countries," Zelenskyy wrote, "then North Korea will certainly gain experience in modern warfare under Russia."
AJP Takeaways
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seeking South Korean air-defense support, saying Kyiv and Seoul are already in diplomatic contact over possible military cooperation, including drones.
- Zelenskyy says Russia could receive 30,000 to 50,000 additional North Korean troops, on top of the roughly 14,000 North Koreans estimated to have fought for Moscow since 2024.
- Deepening North Korea-Russia military ties are raising security concerns for South Korea and Asia, as Pyongyang gains battlefield experience in drones, missiles and modern warfare while potentially receiving Russian military technology in return.
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