Why North Korea would want to go to war for Russia

• North Korea sent thousands of troops to support Russia successful its warfare against Ukraine.
• US officials stay troubled by what Kim could beryllium receiving successful return, which analysts and officials opportunity could beryllium subject technology.
• Kim and Putin person deepened their confederation and moreover signed a defense pact.

North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to Russia arsenic nan confederation betwixt nan countries deepens, and they look to beryllium headed to nan beforehand lines of nan Ukraine war.

The US said past week it had grounds of nan presence of immoderate 3,000 North Korean troops astatine Russian subject bases for imaginable deployment successful Ukraine, confirming earlier intelligence from some Ukraine and South Korea. The White House said that nan US believed nan soldiers were undergoing training.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday that he could "confirm that North Korean troops person been sent to Russia and that North Korean subject units person been deployed to nan Kursk region," Russian territory Ukrainian forces invaded successful early August.

Later connected Monday, nan Department of Defense updated its figures, saying that 10,000 North Korean troops were connected their way. A Pentagon spokesperson said that "we are progressively concerned that Russia intends to usage these soldiers successful combat aliases to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces."

Why is North Korea helping Russia?

Ties betwixt Russia and North Korea entered a caller shape earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a caller communal defense statement during a acme successful Pyongyang.

The defense pact, which nan Russian State Duma ratified past Thursday, states that nan signatories will thief 1 different successful nan arena of an equipped attack. The infinitesimal marks nan closest North Korean-Russian relations since nan Cold War.

Putin and Kim person been strengthening their narration passim nan Ukraine war, gathering past autumn to talk an arms woody statement that yet saw North Korea supply ammunition and weapons to Russia. That arena followed earlier interactions for akin purposes.

That increasing business betwixt Russia and North Korea, countries aligned successful their position against nan US-led wide world order, during this warfare has brought things to their coming state.

What benignant of support is Russia getting?

The US first accused North Korea of sending Russia ammunition successful September 2022, and Ukrainian and American officials person documented nan usage of North Korean weapons, including ballistic missiles, connected nan battlefield. Estimates connected really overmuch ammo Pyongyang sent Moscow vary, but nan West and South Korea judge nan full for artillery ammunition is location successful nan millions.

Russia has utilized North Korea's weapons arsenic a stopgap arsenic it grapples pinch nan precocious demands of this conflict connected industries targeted by sanctions and affected by accumulation issues. The Russians usage limb systems from Iran arsenic well. The value and capacity of nan weapons provided person been mixed.

In nan aforesaid measurement that Russia has struggled pinch ammunition shortages, it has besides struggled pinch manpower shortfalls successful this high-casualty conflict.

"Over 600,000 Russian soldiers person been killed aliases wounded successful Putin's war, and he's incapable to prolong his battle successful Ukraine without overseas support," NATO main Rutte said Monday, saying it was a motion of "growing desperation" connected Putin's end to bring successful North Korean forces.

What is North Korea getting successful return?

It's unclear what precisely is driving North Korea to go progressively progressive successful nan warfare and nonstop troops to Russia. "We don't person a bully consciousness of that," White House National Security Council spokesperson Kirby told reporters past week. "But that's what's truthful concerning to us."

Kim is successful a beardown position to request food, petroleum products, aliases moreover subject technology, each of which analysts person identified arsenic possibilities. By sending troops alternatively of conscionable weapons and ammunition, Pyongyang appears to beryllium paying a very precocious value for immoderate it's getting successful return, which is telling successful its ain way.

Technologies for nuclear-powered submarines, which North Korea wants, could beryllium a large ask. North Korea besides has an aging combatant pitchy fleet it wants to upgrade and a desire for precocious outer technologies. It could activity to amended its defense business guidelines arsenic well.

But North Korea's atomic weapons and rocket programs are nan crowned jewels. In June, erstwhile nan attraction was solely connected weapons and ammo, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said immoderate discussions astir what North Korea would get from Russia would apt impact "nuclear aliases long-range missile-development plans."

North Korea besides gets a definite magnitude of leverage against nan US and its friends done its adjacent ties to Russia, and done its engagement successful nan Ukraine war, its subject stands to summation combat acquisition and capacity information connected its weapons.

How are friends and foes reacting?

Kim's evident determination to nonstop North Korean troops to support Russia's warfare has raised a number of alarms. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called this a "very superior issue."

The Biden management would "continue to surge information assistance" to Kyiv and was discussing "the correct adjacent steps" pinch friends and partners, Kirby said. He noted nan US would beryllium communicating pinch China connected nan issue, too.

Publicly, China has remained mum, pinch a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson saying past week that Beijing "does not person information" connected nan deployment and would proceed to push for deescalation in nan conflict. Beijing has often aligned pinch Russia and North Korea, and Western officials person accused China of besides giving subject assistance to Russia successful return for definite technologies and information. 

North Korea's engagement successful nan Ukraine warfare is, beyond Ukraine, possibly most concerning for South Korea. The country's spy agency reported that Kim promised astir 10,000 troops to Russia and that those forces person been training successful Russia since September.

The improvement has prompted Seoul's activity to reconsider its long-standing prohibition connected straight providing weapons to a state successful conflict. South Korea antecedently supported Ukraine done a loophole, sending ammunition via friends and partners, including nan US. But past week, elder South Korean officials indicated that a alteration successful argumentation was nether consideration. 

Such a move would bring some Koreas deeper into nan conflict and consequence raising tensions astatine an already fraught clip connected nan peninsula.