The Pentagon has warned that any North Korean soldiers sent to aid the Russian military in its invasion of Ukraine will be “cannon fodder.”
At a press conference on Tuesday, a reporter asked Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder for his thoughts on rumors that North Korean construction and engineering corps are being deployed to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ryder did not deny the possibility of North Korean military personnel entering the region, stating that it was “certainly something to keep an eye on.”
“I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine,” Ryder said.
South Korean news outlet TV Chosun first reported that North Korea was planning to send the engineering corps to occupied Ukraine, citing a government official.
Earlier this month, Russia signed a defensive pact with North Korea that requires both nations to defend each other from military adversaries “without delay.”
“If one of the two sides is placed under war situations due to an armed invasion from an individual country or several nations, the other side provides military and other assistance without delay by mobilizing all means in its possession,” the agreement states.
South Korean officials have been openly critical of the pact, calling it a direct threat to their national security.
While no explicit agreement regarding North Korean involvement in the ongoing war was published, President Vladimir Putin thanked supreme leader Kim Jong Un for his “unwavering support” in the conflict.
Russia has long sought to portray its invasion of Ukraine as a defensive war to reclaim territory rightfully belonging to Russia.
This narrative, accepted by Kim’s regime, could provide justification for North Korean involvement under the mutual defense pact.
A source within South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity, previously told the press that South Korea will consider providing arms to Ukraine following the pact as a political retaliation.