Ukrainian President Zelensky Says North Korean Troops Will Likely Be Deployed To The Battlefield In A Matter Of Days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would soon be forced to fight North Korean forces, as they likely join the battlefield against Ukraine "in a matter of days."

The assessment was delivered by President Zelensky on Sunday in a post on social media platform X, amid reports of North Korean troops gathering in Russia's southwestern region, Kursk, where a major Ukrainian attack took place in August.

"Every day in this war proves only one fact: Moscow intends to continue its aggression," he wrote, launching The Korea Times October 28.

"That's why they are increasingly involving North Korea and within days, North Korean soldiers may join the battlefield against Ukraine."

"Ukraine will soon be forced to fight North Korean troops in Europe," President Zelensky said.

The statement comes after last week the North Korean army was expected to be deployed to the fastest combat zone on Sunday or Monday.

Separately, Ukrainian military intelligence services said Russia was sending "mercenaries" from North Korea to the front lines using trucks with civilian license plates.

On Sunday, Russian police officers stopped a truck with civilian number plates carrying North Korean military personnel on the Kursk-Voronezh highway, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence said on its website, noting drivers had no "war orders."

Last week, South Korea's spy agency said 3,000 North Korean troops had been dispatched to Russia, with around 10,000 expected to be deployed by December.

Separately, the United States has also confirmed at least 3,000 North Korean troops have been dispatched to Russia east this month.

Meanwhile, Kyodo News reported that the Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Korean People's Army, Colonel General Kim Yong-bok, was in Russia last Thursday to oversee North Korean troops sent, citing Ukrainian military sources.

General Kim is known as a military aide near North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

On the other hand, South Korea has pledged to take a "phase step" in response to the level of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, with President Yoon Suk-yeol saying Seoul could consider providing weapons to Kyiv, in a possible change from its policies that only deliver humanitarian aid.

Seoul has also sent a high-level delegation to Brussels, Belgium to brief the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on deploying North Korean troops to Russia on Monday.