South Korea reacts to Zelensky’s claim about 30,000 North Korean troops for Russia

Vladimir Zelensky has said that Russia is seeking to deploy an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to fight against Ukraine. South Korea and Japan reacted with concern, though Seoul said it has so far been unable to independently confirm the claim.

Zelensky’s warning came in a Saturday evening video address. According to him, preparations to receive the North Korean reinforcements have been under way since June in Russia’s Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine.

“Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea,” Zelensky said, adding that Pyongyang is also preparing to hand Moscow additional ballistic missile launchers.

Neither Russia nor North Korea has publicly responded to the claim, and it has not received independent confirmation.

Around 20,000 North Korean troops are already involved in Russia’s military campaign: approximately 14,000 combat soldiers deployed primarily to the Kursk region, as well as around 6,000 military engineers and construction workers. Casualties have been significant. According to Ukrainian military intelligence figures published in June, North Korean units suffered more than 7,000 killed and wounded during fighting in the Kursk region in 2024–2025. A BBC investigation conducted in May, based on satellite images of a recently built memorial in Pyongyang, established that approximately 2,300 North Korean soldiers are listed as killed.

On Monday, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “closely monitoring” military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, though government sources said there were no confirmed signs of an imminent deployment of additional troops. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the same day that Tokyo “strongly condemns” the deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, pointing to the troop deployments and weapons supplies.

Analysts at NK News report that Russia may be intending to use additional troops in an autumn offensive. Zelensky warned that the military cooperation could strengthen Pyongyang’s capacity to threaten South Korea and other Asian countries. Seoul shares this concern, having long feared that North Korean military personnel will gain combat experience and advanced military knowledge through participation in fighting on Russia’s side.