'Incident on Korean Peninsula MDL… situation worsening by the day'

The Demilitarized Zone on the western front and the Kaesong Industrial Complex area, as seen from the border region of Paju, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]
The Demilitarized Zone on the western front and the Kaesong Industrial Complex area, as seen from the border region of Paju, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]

A senior official at Ukraine's presidential office warned that North Korean troops fighting in the Ukraine war are upgrading their weapons and strengthening their combat capabilities based on firsthand battlefield experience. He also raised the possibility that North Korea's involvement in the conflict could fuel instability on the Korean Peninsula, citing a recent explosion in the Demilitarized Zone.

According to Yonhap, Kyrylo Budanov, chief of staff of Ukraine's presidential office, made the remarks Monday (local time) in a social media post citing an interview with news outlet Newspost. Referring to North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia, he wrote, "North Korea is arming itself by learning from our war."

He added that the North Korean troops' conduct was "above all to prepare for active combat in their own territory."

The comments reiterated a longstanding position held by Ukrainian officials that North Korea's battlefield participation could ultimately heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Budanov also said that "yet another incident has occurred on the MDL between South and North Korea very recently," warning that "the situation is worsening by the day." He went on to say that "it is only a matter of time before an incident occurs that could lead to uncontrollable consequences."

The "incident" he referred to appears to be a suspected land mine explosion in the DMZ on Sept. 21. Three South Korean military officers were wounded — some seriously — when a blast, believed to have been triggered by a land mine, struck a unit of the Army's 25th Infantry Division during a search operation on the western front. Within and outside the military, there is a growing sense that the explosive responsible was more likely a North Korean mine than a South Korean one, based on various circumstantial evidence.

Budanov's remarks appear to be an effort to draw attention to the fallout from North Korea's troop deployment to Russia and to indirectly press the South Korean government to respond.

"North Korea is upgrading its weapons based on combat experience in Ukraine," Budanov wrote, adding that the country is "introducing new types of weapons, some of which are of Russian origin."


kimstar@heraldcorp.com