Ex-North Korean diplomat claims Kim Jong Un deployed troops to Ukraine to gain nuclear technology
Tae Yong Ho, North Korea's former deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom who defected to South Korea in 2016 and now serves in parliament, told Al Jazeera that, in his analysis, leader Kim Jong Un sent North Korean soldiers to fight in Ukraine to advance his country's nuclear weapons program. According to Tae, the deployment allows North Korea to gain battlefield experience and technical knowledge applicable to nuclear weapons development. Tae also said, in the same Al Jazeera interview, that North Korea's involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine has strengthened the country's modern warfare capabilities. This report is based on a single Al Jazeera interview with Tae.
📹 Source Video
This item is classified as Analysis. The core claim regarding North Korea's motivations for deployment reflects the source's (Tae Yong Ho's) argument based on his former diplomatic access, not an independently verified finding. The underlying fact of North Korean troop presence in Ukraine is corroborated by multiple U.S. and allied intelligence sources.
✓ Verified
- ✓Tae Yong Ho served as North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom. (Source: Al Jazeera description, corroborated by public South Korean parliamentary records)
- ✓Tae defected to South Korea in 2016. (Source: Al Jazeera description)
- ✓Tae became a member of the South Korean parliament in 2020. (Source: Al Jazeera description)
- ✓North Korean troops have been deployed to Ukraine. (Source: U.S. intelligence assessments, South Korean defense ministry statements, confirmed in multiple U.S. mainstream outlets as of June 2026)
~ Interpretation
- ~Kim Jong Un sent soldiers to Ukraine to boost nuclear technology — according to Tae's analysis, the deployment provides battlefield experience and technical knowledge applicable to nuclear weapons advancement. (Source argument: Tae Yong Ho's interpretation based on his insider knowledge of North Korean military and leadership priorities)
⚠️ Limited Coverage
Not covered by: NYT, WaPo, CNN, BBC, BBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, AP, Reuters, Politico, The Hill, USA Today, WSJ
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