Russia gives North Korea anti-aircraft missiles in exchange for troops, according to Seoul

MADRID 22 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The North Korean regime has received anti-aircraft missiles and air defense equipment in exchange for the deployment of thousands of soldiers in Russia to support this country’s offensive against Ukraine, the South Korean Government said this Friday.

The South Korean National Security Advisor, Shin Won Sik, stated in an interview with the SBS network that Pyongyang has apparently received, in exchange for giving up its troops, material with which to reinforce its “vulnerable” anti-aircraft defense arsenal.

In addition, Kim Jong Un’s regime would also seek technology to improve its satellite industry and economic aid “in various ways,” according to Seoul’s analysis, collected by the Yonhap news agency.

The South Korean Government estimates that more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers are already on Russian soil to reinforce the Russian response to the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk. At least part of this contingent would be in the middle of the fighting and, according to kyiv, direct clashes have already occurred.

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, recently warned that Pyongyang could increase its deployment to 100,000 soldiers, although neither the Russian nor the North Korean sides have given precise data on the details of this unprecedented collaboration on the battlefield or the potential compensation.