North Korea likely to ask for nuclear technology from Russia in exchange for troops, South Korea says

CNN —

North Korea is “very likely to ask” Moscow for advanced technology related to nuclear weapons in exchange for deploying troops to help Russia in its war against Ukraine, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun said at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

North Korea will likely request Russian technology transfers relating to tactical nuclear weapons, the advancement of North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites and nuclear submarines, Kim said, speaking through a translator alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The arrangement would mirror one Russia has with Iran, in which Moscow has been sharing technology on nuclear issues with Tehran in exchange for weapons and military support for the war in Ukraine, the White House said in September.

Kim said that, ultimately, he did not believe North Korea deploying troops to help Russia would increase “the possibility of war breaking out on the Korean peninsula” but that it could result in “the escalation of the security threats on the Korean peninsula.”

South Korea has been raising alarms about North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia for weeks and briefed NATO allies on the intelligence about the troop movements on Monday. A source familiar with the matter said that South Korea has dramatically increased its intelligence sharing with the alliance in recent weeks as their concerns have grown about the North Korean movements.

The US independently confirmed for the first time last week that thousands of North Korean troops had been sent to Russia for military training. At first, the US said only 3,000 were there but revised that number this week to 10,000. South Korea says 13,000 have been deployed.

A small number of North Korean troops