The participation of the DPRK army in the war against Ukraine will have long-term consequences for the security system in the Asia-Pacific region, said Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

"North Korea is using this war to gain combat experience and modernize its military technology. This will have lasting consequences for the security landscape in the Asia-Pacific region," he said in an interview with the South Korean publication The Chosun.

According to him, the North Korean group in the war against Ukraine lost about 4,000 soldiers killed and seriously wounded. But despite significant losses, North Korean forces continue to actively participate in joint operations with Russian troops. There is also an increase in the number of North Korean artillery on the front. Deputy head of military intelligence of Ukraine Major General Vadym Skibitsky added that currently about 1,000 North Korean servicemen are undergoing training with new military equipment.

"This war has mobilized the full military capabilities of the nations involved. Only three countries—Ukraine, Russia, and North Korea—are gaining direct experience in full-scale 21st-century warfare. The North Korean military of the future will be fundamentally different from its past," he said.

He also emphasized that the aggressor states of Russia and the DPRK are deepening military cooperation in the field of technology, science and industry. As an example, he described the changes that the North Korean KN-23 missile has undergone. "Initially, its accuracy was severely flawed, with an error margin of 500 to 1,500 meters," he said. "But Russian missile experts made technical modifications, resolving the issue. The missile is now significantly more precise and a far greater threat."

Budanov expressed hope that cooperation between Kyiv and Seoul will deepen, since both Ukraine and South Korea are confronting the same enemy – North Korea.