French intel chief's Kyiv visit focuses on North Korean military involvement in Ukraine war

The head of France's Directorate General of External Security (DGSE), Nicolas Lerner, visited Kyiv earlier this week to discuss the involvement of North Korean (DPRK) troops in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

According to the French newspaper Le Monde citing diplomatic sources, Lerner visited Kyiv on November 4 and 5 to meet with his counterparts, per Caliber.Az.

The discussions focused particularly on Russian troops and their North Korean allies.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty. Article 4 of this agreement stipulates that if either party is attacked and finds itself at war, the other party will immediately provide military assistance, in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter and the laws of both Russia and North Korea.

In the same month, both Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence began reporting on the planned, and later confirmed, deployment of DPRK troops to Russia to support its military operations. The US State Department indicated that 10,000 North Korean troops had arrived in the Kursk region.

While Moscow and Pyongyang did not confirm the deployment, Putin responded to the South Korean intelligence reports by stating that "satellite images are a serious thing" and that if they existed, they would reflect reality. He also emphasized that Russia never doubted North Korea's commitment to the agreement.

In early November, the North Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed that it was providing military assistance to Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, although it did not specify the nature of that support.

On November 6, Ukrainian forces reportedly engaged in their first battle with North Korean troops in the Kursk region, according to the British Financial Times, citing a representative from the Ukrainian intelligence service. While the details of the clash were not provided, it was noted as the first direct involvement of a foreign military in the Russia-Ukraine war, marking an expansion of the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 11,000 North Korean soldiers are currently deployed in the Kursk region, while South Korean intelligence and Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate had previously reported that 12,000 North Korean troops were sent to Russia.

The Pentagon has yet to confirm these reports. However, Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder stated that if North Korean soldiers are directly involved in combat, they would become legitimate military targets for Ukraine: "The deployment of these additional forces in Kursk could certainly have significant combat implications, but much will depend on how these forces are used and integrated into Russian command. If they engage in combat operations against Ukraine, they will become legitimate targets."

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, stated that the clash between Ukrainian and DPRK forces occurred near the town of Suja, located in Russia's Kursk region. There, North Korean troops reportedly came under fire from Ukrainian forces alongside Russian military personnel.

By Tamilla Hasanova