|
Zelenskyy says N. Korea is preparing 10,000 troops to help Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that North Korea is preparing to send around 10,000 soldiers to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, calling the development "a big problem."
볼로디미르 젤렌스키 우크라이나 대통령은 목요일 북한이 러시아의 우크라이나 전쟁을 지원하기 위해 약 10,000명의 군인을 러시아에 파견할 준비를 하고 있다며, 이러한 사태는 "큰 문제"라고 말했습니다.
Zelenskyy cited Ukrainian intelligence reports indicating that North Korean personnel have already been deployed in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, with additional troops being prepared to join the fight.
젤렌스키는 우크라이나 정보 보고서를 인용해서 북한군이 이미 러시아가 점령한 우크라이나 영토에 배치되었으며, 추가 병력이 전투에 참여할 준비를 하고 있다고 전했습니다.
"We know about 10,000 soldiers of North Korea that they are preparing to send to fight against us," Zelenskyy said during a press conference in Brussels after the European Union summit. "That's really, I think, a big problem."
"우리는 북한이 우리와 맞서 싸우기 위해 약 1만 명의 군인을 파견할 준비를 하고 있는 것으로 알고 있다"고 젤렌스키 대통령은 유럽연합 정상회의가 끝난 후 브뤼셀에서 열린 기자회견에서 말했습니다. "그것은 정말 큰 문제라고 나는 생각합니다."
Zelenskyy suggested that Russia is relying on North Korean forces to compensate for its substantial troop losses, as many young Russians seek to avoid conscription.
*sub·stan·tial [sǝbstǽnʃəl] ɑ.① 실질적인; 실제상의 ② 내용이 풍부한; (음식 등이) 실속 있는③ (양·정도 따위가) 상당한, 꽤 많은, 다대한, 대폭적인
con·scrip·tion [kǝnskrípʃən] n. 징병 (제도), 모병; 징모병; 징발, 징집
젤렌스키는 많은 러시아 젊은이들이 징집을 피하려고 하기 때문에 러시아가 막대한 병력 손실을 보상하기 위해 북한군에 의존하고 있다고 말했습니다.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is afraid of mobilization very much because social opinion is against his," he said. "That's why he (Putin) is trying to involve other participants of this war."
"(블라디미르) 푸틴 러시아 대통령은 사회적 여론이 자신에게 불리하기 때문에 동원을 매우 두려워하고 있다"고 그는 말했습니다. "그래서 그(푸틴)는 이 전쟁에 다른 참가국들을 참여시키려고 노력하고 있습니다."
He emphasized the risk posed by "a second country" helping Russia's war effort, saying he had discussed the matter with US officials and EU leaders during the summit.
그는 정상회담에서 미국 관리 및 EU 지도자들과 이 문제를 논의했다고 말하면서 러시아의 전쟁 노력을 돕는 '제2의 국가'가 초래할 수 있는 위험성을 강조했습니다.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian media reported that six North Koreans were among those killed after a Ukrainian missile strike in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region on Oct. 3. Russia denied using North Korean troops for its war.
이달 초에 우크라이나 언론은 10월 3일 우크라이나가 일부 점령한 동부 도네츠크 지역에서 발생한 미사일 공격으로 사망자 가운데 북한인 6명이 포함되어 있다고 보도했습니다. 러시아는 전쟁에 북한군을 동원한 사실을 부인했습니다.
If confirmed, it will signal a major development in the military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang besides their suspected arms trade, already criticized by the international community. Zelenskyy says N. Korea is preparing 10,000 troops to help Russia
이것이 (사실로) 확인되면 이미 국제 사회의 비판을 받고 있는 모스크바와 평양 간의 무기 거래 의혹 외에도 군사 협력에 큰 진전이 있을 것으로 보입니다. 젤렌스키는 북한이 러시아를 돕기 위해 10,000 명의 병력을 준비하고 있다고 말했습니다.
*************
Did North Korea deploy troops to Ukraine?Posted : 2024-10-17 16:19Updated : 2024-10-17 16:49
Pyongyang may have sent engineers to assess its missiles, but large-scale troop deployments remain unlikely: experts
북한은 자기들의 미사일을 평가하기 위해 엔지니어를 파견했을 수 있지만 대규모 병력 배치는 아직 가능성이 낮습니다 : 전문가들
By Lee Hyo-jin
The likelihood of North Korea deploying a large number of combat forces to support Russia in its war against Ukraine remains low amid mounting speculation that North Korean troops are involved in the conflict, experts said Thursday.
ᛜspèc·u·lá·tion n.① 사색, 숙고, 심사, 고찰.② (사색에 의한) 결론, 의견. ③ 추측, 억측;
북한이 우크라이나와의 전쟁에서 러시아를 지원하기 위해 대규모 전투 병력을 배치할 가능성은 여전히 낮다고 목요일 북한군이 분쟁에 연루됐다는 추측이 커지고 있는 가운데 전문가들은 말했다.
Instead, observers suggested that Pyongyang may have sent engineers to operate North Korean missiles sold to Russia.
대신 북한은 러시아에 판매한 북한 미사일을 운용하기 위해 엔지니어를 파견했을 수 있다고 관측통들은 시사했습니다.
This could pose a threat to South Korea, as the North could strengthen its weapons capabilities based on evaluations of battlefield use.
이는 북한이 전장에서의 사용 평가를 바탕으로 무기 역량을 강화할 수 있기 때문에 한국에 위협이 될 수 있습니다.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian reports have suggested that North Korean troops are participating in the conflict. These reports claim that Russia is forming battalions that include North Korean soldiers and that some of them were killed in missile attacks on the Ukrainian battlefield. Other reports suggest Pyongyang already sent as many as 10,000 troops to support Moscow.
"These are (North Korean) workers for Russian factories to replace Russians killed in the war, and personnel for the Russian army. In fact, this is the participation of a second state in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a parliamentary speech, Wednesday (local time), backing these reports.
In response, Russia, which has consistently denied any weapons trade with North Korea, rejected these speculations.
“Who is involved in the special military operation is none of their (Ukraine) concern," Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a briefing. The term “special military operation” is used by the Russian government to describe its invasion of Ukraine.
Experts who spoke with The Korea Times downplayed the likelihood of North Korea sending a large number of troops to the Ukrainian battlefield. Pyongyang has been forming a closer military alliance with the Kremlin, but deploying combat-ready forces entails big risks for the secretive regime, they said.
“While it is clear there has been weapons trade between North Korea and Russia, sending troops is another matter. If any personnel were sent, they are more likely to be laborers or engineers rather than skilled military forces capable of combat,” Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, said.
Yang suggested these engineers could be deployed alongside Russian ground troops to assess the capabilities of North Korean missiles and artillery used in the conflict. This data could later be used to improve North Korea’s weapons, he said, potentially posing a threat to South Korea.
A military agreement signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June has fueled speculation about troop deployments, but Yang pointed out that the agreement has yet to fully take effect in either country.
Putin submitted a bill to Russia’s lower legislative house, Monday, for the ratification of the military treaty, while North Korea has not disclosed its own approval process.
"Technically speaking, formal ratification is required to send troops. Without this process, such actions could have legal consequences under both international and domestic laws,” he said.
Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, voiced a similar view.
“There is a low possibility — nearly zero — that North Korea has sent thousands of combat-ready troops. Participating in the Ukraine war would mean fighting NATO, and the Kim Jong-un regime would not want a direct conflict with the U.S.-led military alliance," Cho said.
The researcher, citing several sources in Russia, suggested that while there has been some involvement of North Korean personnel in the Ukraine war since last year, they were mostly laborers or engineers rather than combat forces.
He also noted that the Kim regime, which recently stated that inter-Korean relations are nearing a state of war, would not risk sending its forces abroad at this time, where they are likely to be seriously injured or killed.
Another expert on North Korea, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “I think it's too early to draw conclusions since Ukraine has not yet presented clear evidence of North Korean troops. However, these claims that North Korea has begun to deploy military personnel, in addition to the weapons it has been providing, could be used as leverage by Kyiv to increase pressure on South Korea for weapons support."
Since the war began in February 2022, Seoul has maintained a policy of providing only financial and humanitarian aid to the war-torn nation, wary of impacting relations with Moscow. Ukraine and Western nations have been pressing Seoul to send lethal weapons.
Regarding the potential deployment of North Korean troops, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said it is “looking into the reports, keeping in mind that they could be true."
The Ministry of Unification said Thursday that it did not have relevant information to address the speculation, but is closely monitoring the issue with other government bodies. The foreign ministry said, "We are working to verify the speculation. If the report is true, we consider it tantamount to participation in the war, and thus are taking it very seriously."******
North Korean hackers have stolen an estimated US$3 billion worth of cryptocurrency since 2017, using the funds to support the regime's nuclear and missile programs, a Microsoft report showed Thursday.
Of that amount, between $600 million and $1 billion was stolen just last year, based on Microsoft's Digital Defense Report for 2024.
The report highlights that these stolen funds have financed over half of Pyongyang's nuclear development efforts.
Since last year, Microsoft has identified several new North Korean hacking groups -- Moonstone Sleet, Jade Sleet, Sapphire Sleet and Citrine Sleet, which have been targeting cryptocurrency organizations.
In particular, Moonstone Sleet has developed a custom ransomware variant and deployed it against unidentified entities in the aerospace and defense sectors for both intelligence gathering and financial gain.
Microsoft analysts said the emergence of new hacking groups suggests that the North Korean regime is expanding its involvement in ransomware activities, increasing the use of cybercriminal tools to bolster the regime's financial resources and advance its strategic interests.
"Nation-states are becoming more aggressive in the cyber domain, with ever-growing levels of technical sophistication that reflect increased investment in resources and training," said Tom Burt, Microsoft's vice president of customer security and trust.
Microsoft also warned of rising cyber threats by state-backed actors, especially those related to Russia, China and Iran, ahead of the US presidential election and amid persistent geopolitical conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.