North Korea May Deploy Troops to Russia

North Korea is considering the deployment of up to 100,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine, contingent on the strengthening of their alliance, according to G20 assessments. Analysts suggest that if this occurs, the troops will be sent in smaller, rotating groups rather than all at once, with an initial estimate of 15,000 troops expected to be deployed to Russia's Kursk region and eastern Ukraine. This potential escalation has raised significant concerns among Ukraine's allies, fearing it could destabilize the ongoing conflict and the broader Indo-Pacific region, already strained by US-China tensions. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukraine's ambassador to South Korea, Dmytro Ponomarenko, have both voiced alarm about this development. The situation is slated to be a key topic at the upcoming G20 Summit in Brazil, where Scholz plans to discuss it with China's Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, North Korea has already been supplying Russia with military equipment, further deepening their military cooperation.