North Korean military men may see two foreign countries very, very soon

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, October 25, that Russia plans to deploy North Korean troops to the battlefield on October 27-28.

"According to intelligence reports, first North Korean soldiers are to be deployed by Russia to combat zones as early as October 27-28. This is a clear escalation on the part of Russia," Zelensky wrote on social media.

North Korean Foreign Ministry makes official comment

The North Korean Foreign Ministry commented on statements from Ukrainian and Western officials regarding the possible dispatch of Korean People's Army (KPA) troops to Russia.

According to Deputy Foreign Minister of the DPRK Kim Jong Gyu, such a move does not in any way contradict international law.

"I think that if what the world media is making a fuss about had taken place, it would have been in accordance with international law, KCNA quoted Kim Jong Gyu as saying.

The statement from the DPRK Foreign Ministry came against the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks that he made at a press conference following the BRICS summit. The Russian leader, answering a question about aid to the DPRK, made it clear that such assistance was made possible under Article 4 of the Strategic Partnership Treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang. If one of the parties to the treaty is attacked by a third party or group of countries, it will receive military or other aid from the partner under Article 51 of the UN.

Ukraine's Zelensky urged the West to "harshly punish" Russia and the DPRK for allegedly sending KPA soldiers to the zone of the special military operation.

Details

The Korean People's Army encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Ground Force, the Naval Force, the Air Force, Strategic Force, and the Special Operation Force. It is commanded by the WPK Central Military Commission, which is chaired by the WPK general secretary, and the president of the State Affairs; both posts are currently headed by Kim Jong Un. The KPA considers its primary adversaries to be the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and United States Forces Korea, across the Korean Demilitarized Zone, as it has since the Armistice Agreement of July 1953. As of 2021 it is the second largest military organisation in the world, with 29.9% of the North Korean population actively serving, in reserve or in a paramilitary capacity