In an exclusive interview with the prestigious Japanese publication The Japan Times, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, revealed alarming details about the growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. According to the high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence officer, the experience from the conflict in Ukraine is being transmitted to the entire 1.3-million-strong army of the DPRK, which, combined with Russian technologies and the improvement of North Korean tactics, poses a serious threat to security in the Pacific region.
Budanov revealed shocking data on the scale of North Korean involvement in the war. According to estimates by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (GUR), about 5,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in the Kursk region alone. Although Pyongyang long denied its involvement, in April the Kim Jong Un regime finally acknowledged casualties, claiming that their participation in the hostilities had ended.
"Their unpreparedness for 21st-century warfare", Budanov commented, explaining the initial high losses among North Korean forces. The tactics they had been trained for in the DPRK proved inadequate for modern assault operations. Moreover, poor coordination with Russian forces, further complicated by the language barrier, led to tragic "friendly fire" incidents.
Over time, however, North Korean units managed to adapt, mastering modern tactics and techniques. Budanov expressed concerns that Pyongyang might send new forces - either openly or under the guise of "labor migrants". These concerns seem well-founded, especially after the Russian Defense Minister recently announced that the DPRK would send engineering units of 6,000 personnel for demining and reconstruction activities in the Kursk region.
Military support from North Korea is not limited to manpower. Budanov revealed that the DPRK has supplied Russia with tens of thousands of containers of ammunition, as well as mobile anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems. Particularly worrying is the fact that, according to GUR data, North Korea is currently providing 40% of the Russian army's needs for 122- and 152-millimeter shells, which are being produced around the clock in North Korean factories.
In exchange for this large-scale military aid, Moscow is providing Pyongyang not only with financial resources but also with critically important technologies, training, as well as food and fuel. Budanov warned that this growing military alliance could make North Korea even more unpredictable and less inclined to comply with the influence of China, which traditionally tries to limit the DPRK's nuclear and military ambitions.
"The risk of impulsive and threatening actions by the North Korean regime must be taken seriously", Budanov stated in conclusion of the interview, emphasizing the growing threat to regional and global security stemming from the deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.