Officials warn of Russia's tech-for-troops deal with North Korea amid Ukraine conflict

The EU has joined US and South Korean officials in expressing concern over a Russian transfer of technology to North Korea in return for military assistance against Ukraine.

"We are closely monitoring what Russia provides to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in return for its provision of arms and military personnel, including Russia's possible provision of materials and technology to the DPRK in support of Pyongyang's military objectives," warned a joint statement from South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cho Tae-yul, and EU officials.

The statement further expressed deep concern over "the possibility for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology to the DPRK."

North Korea is not legally allowed to develop or possess nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles under international agreements. It withdrew as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 2003, citing national security concerns. The United Nations Security Council has since imposed multiple sanctions on North Korea to prevent the development of its weapons programs.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the US estimates there are some 10,000 North Korean soldiers in total in Russia.

Many are receiving training, ranging from UAVs to trench clearing, for the purpose of fighting on the front lines of the war on Ukraine, he added.

What quality of assistance North Korea's troops will provide is as yet unknown. Kim Jong Un has claimed his army is the "strongest in the world," but as media outlets have noted, they have never seen combat and are prone to illness and malnutrition. Reports have also emerged that some soldiers are using the opportunity to defect and escape from North Korea.

"Now, one of the reasons that Russia is turning to these North Korean troops is that it's desperate. Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he's turning to North Korean troops, and that is a clear sign of weakness," claimed Blinken.

"In terms of what the DPRK may be getting in return for its provision of 10,000 troops, that's unknown at this point, but as you look at things, you would guess that technology would be at the top of the list, and that's, again, one of those things that could be and will be destabilizing depending on what kind of technology we're talking about, financial assistance, and you can go down the list," commented US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

South Korea's Minister of Defense, Kim Yong-hyun, said there was no confirmation that North Korea had yet successfully gained technology from Russia, and if it does happen, South Korea "can overcome that through the advanced technology that the alliance has."

Blinken said the alliance between the US and Korea had been strengthened during Biden's term in office.

"South Korea is now America's number-one source of foreign direct investment," asserted Blinken. The CHIPS and Science Act is also among the ways the two nations are intertwined. The secretary recapped that Korean companies have pledged to invest $140 billion in the US leveraging the program. ®