U.S. Eighth Army Commander: "North Korean Troops Gaining Modern Warfare Experience in Ukraine War... Threat to Korean Peninsula Security"

A U.S. military official has warned that North Korean troops are gaining practical experience in modern warfare, where advanced technologies such as drones and robots are being used, by taking part in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Yonhap News Agency

According to the U.S. online outlet Axios on October 27 local time, Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army in South Korea, told reporters in Washington, D.C., this month, "Just as we are watching how the nature of warfare is changing in Ukraine and the Middle East, North Korea is clearly watching as well."

Hilbert said that as drone and robotic technologies are changing the nature of warfare, North Korean troops are gaining practical experience on the battlefield in Ukraine and taking it back home.

The remarks are seen as expressing concern that if North Korea uses the modern warfare experience it has gained in the war in Ukraine to strengthen its military capabilities, it could pose a new threat to security on the Korean Peninsula.

Axios said that lessons learned on the battlefield are particularly important for countries isolated from the outside world, such as North Korea, and analyzed that the continued accumulation of practical combat experience by North Korean troops could pose a threat to South Korea and the United States.

Hilbert also commented on military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, saying, "I won't discuss the specifics of the relationship between the two countries, but there is clearly cooperation underway."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.