North Korea sending troops into Ukraine could supercharge an already-close partnership with Russia

• South Korea says 1,500 North Korean troops person been sent to assistance Russia successful its warfare successful Ukraine.
• Its troops being deployed to Russia would people a awesome displacement successful North Korea's overseas relations.
• And nan increasing business poses a important world risk, according to North Korean experts.

South Korea's claims that North Korea is readying troops to nonstop to conflict successful Ukraine person put nan world connected precocious alert for a awesome escalation.

Experts connected North Korea opportunity nan move would beryllium a worrying upgrade to its narration pinch Russia. They besides said that North Korean troops could find themselves small much than cannon fodder.

On Friday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said Russian ships had transported astir 1,500 troops from North Korea, and that they were expected to beryllium deployed to nan frontline successful Ukraine aft training.

A 2nd carrier is planned soon, it said.

South Korean media, meanwhile, has reported that Pyongyang is readying up to 12,000 troops.

The spy agency said its findings confirmed media reports successful caller weeks that suggested nan secretive authorities was readying to perpetrate troops to nan war.

To backmost its claims, nan South Korean spy agency released outer imagery purporting to show 1 of nan carrier ships carrying troops, arsenic good arsenic further images of what it said were hundreds of North Korean troops astatine Russian training grounds.

On Monday, successful a gathering pinch Russia's ambassador to Seoul, South Korea demanded nan troops' withdrawal, the Associated Press reported.

Footage shared pinch CNN by nan Ukrainian authorities besides appears to show North Korean troops being kitted retired pinch uniforms and instrumentality successful nan acold eastbound of Russia.

According to nan NIS, nan troops person moreover been given Russian uniforms and clone IDs.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has besides said North Korea is preparing to subordinate nan fight.

North Korea has denied nan reports.

A 'dramatic' step

If true, nan activity of troops "represents a melodramatic measurement successful North Korea overseas relations," said Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., an master successful North Korean defense astatine nan Center for International and Strategic Studies.

There person been plentifulness of reports of North Koreans aiding Russia, but only successful constricted numbers and largely successful a method capacity — advisors, engineers, and munitions experts tasked pinch watching really North Korean munitions are faring. Few of them are apt to person crossed into Ukrainian territory.

The anticipation of training and perchance deploying ample numbers of North Korean crushed troops would beryllium a awesome step.

The usage of North Korean troops to conflict whitethorn good awesome "that nan recruitment and training strategy successful Russia is nether tremendous stress," Bermudez told Business Insider.

'Cannon fodder'

North Korea experts told BI that nan deployment of crushed troops presents a logistical and cross-cultural situation successful position of really they would operate.

"It is alternatively astonishing that Russia would want specified troops successful combat, considering nan probable logistic and different challenges that integrating specified troops into Russian combat operations will apt entail," said Bermudez.

He said nan 2 states person immoderate humanities ties, but astir North Koreans don't speak Russian, and vice versa.

"To behaviour combat operations pinch an allied unit that doesn't speak your connection presents existent problems," he said.

Bermudez besides said that location is "a important level of racism" wrong Russia's military, contempt nan country's wide taste diverseness — and said nan North Korean troops whitethorn commencement retired astatine nan bottommost of nan pecking order.

Other experts said North Korean troops would acquisition nan roughest extremity of Russia's notoriously sadistic subject hierarchy, which marks immoderate arsenic expendable.

"The grim reality is that nan North Korean troops will apt simply beryllium cannon fodder for Russia," said Edward Howell, a North Korea master astatine nan University of Oxford.

Jim Hoare, a erstwhile diplomat for nan UK successful North Korea, agreed. "I deliberation it's going to beryllium a nightmare, actually," he said.

Hoare besides pointed to nan consequence of North Korean troops defecting, which would loom complete immoderate deployment.

In a study this period that BI was incapable to verify, Ukrainian authorities broadcaster Suspilne cited an anonymous intelligence charismatic arsenic saying that 18 North Korean servicemen had deserted truthful far.

A vulnerable partnership

Troop deployments to Ukraine would beryllium a motion that nan narration betwixt Russia and North Korea is "much person and much vulnerable than we want," Bermudez said.

Western officials person generally dismissed the increasing business betwixt nan countries arsenic a hopeless statement betwixt rogue states, each pinch obscurity other to turn.

But successful nan short word astatine least, nan business has worked for some sides.

Pyongyang receives a waste and acquisition lifeline and captious subject insight. North Korean weapons person been a important thief for Russian advances successful Ukraine successful nan past year, according to The Times of London .

Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, seemingly upped nan ante this summer, signing a "mutual-aid" statement that confirmed "the afloat support and solidarity of nan DPRK authorities and group to nan Russian authorities and group arsenic regards nan typical subject operations successful Ukraine," per North Korean authorities media.

According to Howell, nan statement said that each state would supply nan different pinch communal assistance successful nan arena of an outer attack, but it was "deliberately vague."

In Howell's view, what was initially a purely "transactional" narration pinch small ideological kinship has "escalated to caller heights."

Russia and North Korea don't attraction astir being seen arsenic delinquent actors successful defying sanctions, said Howell.

"They don't attraction astir their world position being lowered," he added. "And I deliberation that's what makes this peculiarly concerning."