North Korea's military is evolving, and it is doing so with Moscow's support.
In late August, Kim Jong Un oversaw the test of two new antiair missile systems as South Korea's new president traveled to Tokyo and Washington to coordinate allied responses to Pyongyang's nuclear program. The launches were not merely a technical demonstration but a deliberate signal — that North Korea's military is advancing, and that it is doing so within the embrace of a deepening partnership with Russia. Beneath the spectacle of missiles rising into the sky lies a quieter and more consequential story: a realignment of power in East Asia, shaped by war in Ukraine and the slow erosion of the post-Cold War security order.
- North Korea tested two new antiair missile types capable of targeting drones and cruise missiles, demonstrating accelerating military modernization under Kim Jong Un's direct supervision.
- The tests were timed to coincide with South Korea's new president meeting allies in Tokyo and heading to Washington, turning a weapons exercise into a geopolitical statement.
- Russia's military cooperation with Pyongyang — including suspected transfers of advanced air defense technology — is raising alarms that North Korea's long-standing vulnerabilities are being quietly remedied.
- Approximately 600 North Korean troops have already died fighting in Ukraine, with thousands more expected to deploy, as Kim frames their sacrifice in the language of heroism and national glory.
- Diplomatic overtures from Seoul and Washington continue to be dismissed, as Pyongyang signals that its future lies with Moscow, not negotiation, ahead of a major political conference where further weapons directives are expected.
On a Saturday in late August, Kim Jong Un watched from an undisclosed location as his military launched two new types of antiair missiles — weapons designed to counter drones and cruise missiles, and a capability North Korea has long sought to strengthen. The timing was pointed: South Korea's newly elected president Lee Jae Myung was in Tokyo pledging deeper military cooperation with Japan and the United States, before heading to Washington to meet President Trump. The test was a message, as such tests always are.
What distinguished this moment was the context surrounding it. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kim has sent roughly 15,000 troops to support Putin's war effort, alongside significant shipments of artillery and ballistic missiles. In return, experts believe Russia has begun sharing military technology that could meaningfully upgrade North Korea's aging air defenses. Whether Saturday's missiles reflect that exchange directly or simply signal independent modernization, the message to Seoul and Washington is the same: North Korea is evolving, and it has a powerful partner.
The human cost of that partnership is already being counted. South Korean assessments put North Korean combat deaths in Ukraine at approximately 600. Kim honored the fallen at a ceremony in Pyongyang the week prior, awarding hero titles and placing medals beside 101 portraits of the dead. Thousands more troops — construction workers and deminers — are expected to deploy to Russia's Kursk region soon.
North Korea has shown no appetite for the diplomatic openings that Seoul and Washington continue to offer. Kim's government has made its orientation clear: Russia, not the West, is its strategic future. As South Korea's new president works to build a coordinated allied response, Kim has assigned his defense scientists new tasks ahead of a major political conference expected early next year. The missile fires visible over an undisclosed location are part of a much larger and ongoing realignment.
On a Saturday in late August, Kim Jong Un stood at an undisclosed location in North Korea and watched as his military fired two types of new antiair missiles into the sky. The tests, according to state media, proved the weapons could effectively counter drones and cruise missiles—a capability the regime has been working to strengthen for years. The timing was deliberate. As Kim supervised the launches, South Korea's newly elected president Lee Jae Myung was in Tokyo meeting with Japan's prime minister, the two nations pledging to deepen their military cooperation and their alliance with the United States specifically to address North Korea's nuclear threat. Lee was headed to Washington next to meet with President Trump.
The missile test itself was a message, though not an unusual one. North Korea regularly demonstrates new weapons systems to signal strength and technological progress. What made this moment distinct was the context in which it occurred—a widening military partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow that has begun to reshape the security landscape of East Asia. Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago, Kim has sent roughly 15,000 troops to support Putin's war effort, along with substantial shipments of artillery and ballistic missiles. In return, experts believe Russia has begun sharing military technology that could significantly upgrade North Korea's aging air defense systems, a vulnerability the regime has long sought to remedy.
The evidence of this exchange is fragmentary but suggestive. South Korea's previous government reported in November that Russia had supplied missiles and other equipment to strengthen Pyongyang's air defenses, though the specifics remain classified. The new antiair missiles Kim tested on Saturday may themselves represent technology influenced by Russian cooperation, or they may simply be a demonstration that North Korea intends to modernize its defenses regardless. Either way, the message to Seoul and Washington is the same: North Korea's military is evolving, and it is doing so with Moscow's support.
The human cost of this partnership has already become visible. According to South Korean military assessments, approximately 600 North Korean troops have been killed in combat in Ukraine since the deployment began last fall. Kim acknowledged this sacrifice in a ceremony held in Pyongyang the previous week, awarding state "hero" titles to returning soldiers and placing medals beside 101 portraits of the dead, describing them as "great men, great heroes and great patriots." The regime is now preparing to send thousands more—military construction workers and deminers—to Russia's Kursk region, a deployment South Korean intelligence believes could begin soon.
Meanwhile, North Korea has shown no interest in the diplomatic overtures that Seoul and Washington continue to extend. Calls to restart negotiations aimed at dismantling the nuclear weapons program have been repeatedly dismissed. Kim's government has made clear that Russia, not the West, represents the future of its foreign policy. This pivot reflects a calculation that the United States and its allies pose a greater long-term threat than the benefits of negotiation, and that alignment with Moscow—itself isolated and in need of military support—offers North Korea both immediate material gain and strategic insurance against future pressure.
The missile test on Saturday was thus not an isolated military exercise but a statement of intent. Kim assigned unspecified "important" tasks to his defense scientists ahead of a major political conference expected early next year, signaling that weapons development will remain a priority. As South Korea's new president works to coordinate with Tokyo and Washington on a unified response to North Korean nuclear ambitions, the regime is deepening its ties to a power with every incentive to see that response fail. The peninsula's security architecture is shifting in real time, and the test fires visible from an undisclosed location in North Korea are part of a much larger realignment.
Citas Notables
Great men, great heroes and great patriots— Kim Jong Un, describing North Korean soldiers who died fighting in Ukraine
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Kim need Russia's help with air defense? Doesn't North Korea already have missiles?
They have missiles, yes, but many of them are old. Air defense systems need constant updating to counter new threats—drones, cruise missiles, evolving tactics. Russia has modern systems and the technical expertise North Korea lacks. It's not about starting from zero; it's about leapfrogging decades of development.
And what does Russia get out of this? Why would Putin care about North Korea's air defenses?
Troops. Weapons. North Korea has sent 15,000 soldiers to Ukraine and shipments of artillery and missiles. For Putin, that's immediate military value in a war he's struggling to win. For Kim, it's a way to gain leverage and technology without having to negotiate with the West.
The ceremony honoring the dead soldiers—was that unusual?
Not for North Korea. The regime regularly celebrates military sacrifice. But the scale matters. 600 dead in less than a year is significant. By publicly honoring them, Kim is signaling that this partnership with Russia is worth the cost, that these soldiers died for something important to the state.
Do you think the new missiles actually work?
We can't verify that independently. The tests were conducted at an undisclosed location with no outside observers. North Korea releases these announcements partly for domestic consumption, partly as signaling to Seoul and Washington. Whether the missiles perform as claimed is less important than the fact that Kim wants everyone to believe they do.
What happens next?
South Korea's new president is trying to coordinate with Japan and the U.S. on a unified response. But North Korea is moving faster, deepening ties with Russia, sending more troops, developing new weapons. The diplomatic window is closing. If negotiations don't restart soon, the military balance on the peninsula will shift further in ways that are harder to reverse.