Photo/Illutration Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend a state reception in Pyongyang on June 19. (Pool via REUTERS)

Reports have emerged that North Korea decided to deploy troops to the battlefield in Ukraine to help Russia with its invasion.

If North Korean troops have indeed joined the fighting, it would constitute an act of complicity on the part of Pyongyang in an illegal war of aggression.

This development poses dire complications for the security landscape in East Asia. Pyongyang’s move is unacceptable.

The presence of North Korean troops in Russia was confirmed by Ukraine and South Korea, and later, the United States.

A senior U.S. official stated that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers were dispatched to eastern Russia between early to mid-October and are currently undergoing military training.

“After completing training, these soldiers could travel to western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military,” the official said. South Korean intelligence has indicated that North Korea plans to send up to 12,000 troops to Russia.

Russia and North Korea, both adversaries of the United States, have rapidly deepened their military cooperation since last year. North Korea has supplied artillery shells to Russia, which has provided food and energy support to the secluded country in return, along with military aid.

A new “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed with North Korean leader King Jong Un in June obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance if either is attacked.

Russia is reportedly facing a severe shortage of military personnel. A U.S. newspaper reported in September that Western intelligence estimates have put Russian military casualties as high as 200,000 dead and 400,000 wounded. For the Putin administration, which cannot rely on an unpopular full conscription policy, North Korean troops undoubtedly provide significant support.

Moscow’s plan seems to be to deploy North Korean troops to Kursk, a region in southwest Russia where Ukrainian forces are conducting cross-border operations, allowing Russian troops to concentrate on the eastern front to intensify their offensive.

If Russian advances stall due to troop losses, Putin might be forced to explore negotiations with Ukraine. The deployment of North Korean troops has profound implications that should not be overlooked or underestimated since it could delay this possibility and prolong the war.

On the other hand, for North Korea, deploying troops to Russia offers the advantage of giving its soldiers opportunities to gain combat experience while testing the performance of its weapons supplied to Moscow.

Pyongyang might also be expecting to gain higher-level cooperation from Russia with regard to technology for missiles and nuclear warheads. An improvement in North Korean military capabilities would pose seriously consequential security risks to Japan and South Korea.

U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit the procurement of arms from North Korea and the hiring of North Korean workers abroad. Russia has voted for these resolutions. The Kremlin’s current actions amount to a dereliction of duty by a permanent member of the Security Council and undermine the authority of the United Nations.

Japan and South Korea should step up all of their possible efforts to stop Russia’s aggression against Ukraine while alerting the world to the dangers of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

It seems Russia and North Korea treat their citizens as disposable commodities. Their actions underscore the inhumanity of authoritarian regimes relying on military power.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 26