The Consequences of North Korea’s Involvement in the Russia-Ukraine War

In the later part of 2024, South Korea and the United States of America's spy agencies confirmed that North Korea sent its troops to join the Russian military as support for Russia in the war.

Since 2022, Russia and Ukraine have been at war, with NATO backing up Ukraine. In the later part of 2024, South Korea and the United States of America’s spy agencies confirmed that North Korea sent its troops to join the Russian military as support for Russia in the war. This is the first country that has done so since World War 2. There have been volunteers from other nations that have been able to support Ukraine in the war, but this is the first time a country has officially sent troops to Russia.

In the 21st century, the United Nations has placed heavy sanctions on North Korea for its authoritarian rule, violation of human rights and disregard for peace. The sanctions imposed by the United Nations on North Korea have been signed and approved by Russia as well, which put a strain on the two countries’ relationship. But in recent times, they repaired the relationship. The question is, “Why the change of heart?” Well, it’s the Ukraine war, and both countries view the United States and NATO as adversaries and seek to counter their influence.

If Russia breaks the Ukraine frontlines, it will face NATO-backed French forces, forcing France to enter the war. North Korea faces a similar situation in the Korean peninsula, where the US has stationed troops in South Korea to prevent a North Korean invasion.

Can these escalate to World War III?

North Korea relies heavily on Russia for military and economic support, particularly in the face of economic sanctions. Due to its isolation and communist ideology, North Korea has limited options in the international community, making Russia a crucial ally. Russia will reap immediate military benefits through the North Korean troops as they will assist them in the Ukraine war, helping them gain the upper hand. North Korea will be edited economically and receive more excellent military assistance from Russia in the future.

Russia has also been building stronger relationships with its allies like China. In the recent BRICS meeting in Kazan, leaders of 36 countries, including Iran, India, South Africa and Brazil, came together to discuss future cooperation with Russia.

During a United Nations Security Council meeting in October, the international community, especially the USA, criticized the alliance, calling it a blatant violation of international law.

Russia justified the alliance by stating that Western nations have provided help to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Ukraine countered that those Western countries assisted with the charter of the Security Council, and since the United Nations has sanctioned North Korea, Russia is violating the UN charter.

But the USA’s history of intervening in wars highlights USA’s hypocrisy in the statement made, as it has a policy of interventionism and has often intervened in wars with the excuse of national security throughout history. This includes The Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, the war in Afghanistan, and the Gulf War. It also provides military support during wars for parties that serve its interests and eliminate its enemies. This can be seen in Israel, Ukraine, Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistan War, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and many other countries. More often than not, US involvement has led to protected and devastating consequences. Furthermore, their provision of military aid to various nations raises concerns over its involvement in regional conflicts.

Therefore, the criticisms of US foreign policy arise not from genuine concern for human rights but from a perception that US hegemony is being challenged. It’s strongly believed that the US’s actions are motivated by a desire to maintain its global dominance, even at the expense of international law and human rights.

 The biggest problem with the North Korea-Russia alliance is the human rights crisis. The Ukrainian authorities have reported that the North Korean soldiers are underfed, poorly trained, and highly prone to illness. Making them easy prisoners of war. Russia has been issuing them fake Russian identity cards, which is in violation of the Geneva Convention and can lead to external problems since North Korean soldiers are mercenaries and have different rights than soldiers. Mercenaries do not have the right of prisoner of war status; even if the Geneva Convention may protect their rights as humans, they can be treated as unlawful combatants and put through abuse and torture. And Ukraine has no obligation to repatriate its soldiers.

North Korea is known to be a country with highly authoritarian rule. The population has few rights; serving in the military in North Korea is compulsory, and those who resist are put into labor camps with three generations of their family; their involvement in the war is very likely unwilling and forced. The biggest threat North Korea faces is that these soldiers can defect to Ukraine or South Korea.

The involvement of North Korea can act as a passage for other powers to engage in the Ukraine-Russia war, leading to a full-blown world war.

South Korea may be forced to send military aid to Ukraine, which goes against their foreign policy, where they cannot provide arms unless it’s for the security of the country or for peaceful uses. This could lead to an escalation of tensions in the Korean peninsula. The NATO powers would intervene if the conflict escalated, pushing China to intervene and leading to an Eurasian war. Even if China has remained diplomatic when asked about the involvement of North Korea in the Ukraine-Russia war, the alliance between South Korea, Japan and the USA cannot be ignored. 

Over 3000 North Korean soldiers have been killed in the war. Their inexperience is making them easy targets for Ukrainian forces. According to the USA, the recruitment of North Korean soldiers in the war was offered by North Korea to strengthen Russia-North Korea relations. According to South Korea, there have even been talks about sending additional troops to the war. The future president of America, Donald Trump, has pledged to end the war between the two countries during his 2025 administration, which South Korea supports wholeheartedly, and this could be a turning point for the world as the world may be on the brink of a world war.

Vrishti Shenoy
Vrishti Shenoy
Vrishti Shenoy, Research Scholar, Department of International Relations, Peace and Public Policy (IRP and PP), St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru-560027, India,