Zelenskyy turns to Seoul for air defense on surge in N. Korean force in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to South Korea for air-defense support as he warned that as many as additional North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia. Zelenskyy said in a post on X over the weekend that the number of North Korean personnel appearing in Russia had steadily increased from hundreds to thousands and that a decision had now been made to deploy between 30,000 and 50,000. The figure marked a sharp increase from his estimate in late July that Russia was preparing to receive another 30,000 North Korean troops. Zelenskyy did not disclose the source of his latest estimate, and the claim has not been independently verified. "They are studying this war," Zelenskyy wrote, warning that North Korea could carry battlefield lessons learned in Ukraine back to Asia in any future conflict. He said Ukraine had already found North Korean missiles on its territory and argued that Pyongyang was likely to gain not only combat experience but also military technology and know-how from Russia. "It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare," he said, adding that Pyongyang could receive Russian licenses and military equipment. Zelenskyy used the growing Russia-North Korea military partnership to make a direct appeal to Seoul. He said Ukraine wanted closer cooperation with South Korea and "would very much like to receive support" in an area where Kyiv faces a shortage, identifying air-defense systems in particular. North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk region beginning in 2024 to help Russian forces repel Ukraine's cross-border incursion, according to South Korean and Ukrainian assessments. "We have already found North Korean missiles on the territory of Ukraine. Today, this is already an established fact," Zelenskyy wrote.