Attention is focusing on the background behind Ukraine's repeated highlighting of the North Korean threat, following its surprise public disclosure that North Korean prisoners of war will be sent to South Korea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed in a national address on September 28 that North Korea is producing attack drones using technology learned from the war.

This provided more specific details regarding the military technology North Korea received from Russia in exchange for deploying troops to the war in Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy also hinted during his UN General Assembly address on September 23 that North Korea is receiving military technology transfers from Russia, stating, "Countries across Asia will likely have already noticed North Korea's advanced ballistic missiles and significantly developed drone capabilities."

Emphasizing what he called "new information regarding North Korean troops" the previous day, President Zelenskyy repeatedly raised the possibility that the scale of North Korea's troop deployment to Russia could increase.

He estimated that more than 8,000 troops are currently on Russian territory, with an additional 10,000 expected to be deployed.

Ukraine's high-intensity criticism and public release of information regarding North Korea's troop deployment to Russia are seen as part of a strategy to expand the Europe-centric alliance front into Northeast Asia and isolate Russia internationally.

The plan is to emphasize that the combat experience of North Korean troops and Russia's military technology support could pose a major threat to stability in Northeast Asia, thereby drawing support from countries like South Korea and Japan.

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, also emphasized in an interview with an American online media outlet shared on social media the previous day that the combat experience of North Korean troops could pose a threat to the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Budanov claimed, "North Korea is learning and arming itself through our war," adding, "This is primarily to prepare for active combat in its own region."

Ukraine's surprise disclosure at the UN General Assembly—which captured global attention—that it sent two North Korean prisoners of war captured by its military to South Korea also appears closely linked to an intent to draw attention from the Northeast Asian region, which is otherwise outside the direct sphere of influence of the Ukraine war.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the controversy surrounding the alleged secret agreement regarding the repatriation of North Korean POWs to South Korea.

On September 27, the Presidential Office stated, "It is a serious problem that the Ukrainian side violated the private agreement and made a unilateral disclosure without prior consultation or even notification, but announcing the false fact that 'there was no private agreement' severely undermines trust between the two governments," demanding an official explanation and apology from Ukraine.

The public disclosure of the transfer of North Korean POWs to South Korea has also been criticized as a "political show for dramatic effect" by associates of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom and a noted political rival of President Zelenskyy.

Some circles in Russia have also raised claims that Ukraine made the transfer of North Korean POWs public out of frustration over failing to receive air defense systems from South Korea.

(Photo: Getty Images, Provided by Gyeore-eul Unification Solidarity, Yonhap News)