In exchange for receiving soldiers from North Korea, Russia will transfer an undisclosed number of aircraft, including MiG-29s and Su-27s, to the North Korean regime. North Korea itself initiated the transfer of its soldiers to Russia, and currently, the KPA soldiers are not involved in combat, although they are deployed in areas of active hostilities.
This was stated by Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (PACOM), as reported by the portal Aviation Week.
It is noted that this information was shared by the PACOM chief during his speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum. He provided the following assessment: although the MiG-29 and Su-27 "are not fifth-generation aircraft, they are still formidable."
Furthermore, it is believed that aside from (relatively) modern aviation technology, North Korea might also receive ballistic missile manufacturing technologies and air defense systems from Russia in exchange for soldiers.
From Defense Express, we find it necessary to highlight the following points. On one hand, it was previously thought that North Korea could receive Su-35s from Russia. This assumption was supported by the fact that in the fall of 2023, Kim Jong Un visited the aircraft manufacturing facilities in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where Su-35s are produced.
On the other hand, considering the current state of the North Korean aviation, the transfer of MiG-29s and Su-27s to the North Korean regime would undoubtedly represent a qualitative enhancement.
It is worth recalling that as of now, among relatively modern aircraft, North Korea possesses only 18 MiG-29s and 34 Su-25s, which were received from the USSR back in the 1980s. Meanwhile, the "core" of the North Korean Air Force "on paper" consists of about fifty MiG-23s, up to 200 MiG-21s, and around 200 MiG-17s and MiG-19s.
What from this "zoo" can realistically take to the skies became clear after the results of the one and only airshow in North Korea in 2016. In other words, North Korea will now be able to equip its MiG-23s, MiG-21s, MiG-19s, and MiG-17s, which have essentially become scrap metal, with newer Su-27s and MiG-29s.
However, in this situation, the qualitative aspect is not the only important factor; the quantitative aspect is also crucial, namely how many of its MiG-29s and Su-27s Russia will be able to transfer to North Korea.
If we refer to The Military Balance directory, we will see the following picture: at the beginning of this year, the "Russian Aerospace Forces" had 70 Soviet-style MiG-29/MiG-29UBs, 14 modernized MiG-29SMTs, and two MiG-29UBTs; also, there were 12 Su-27s and 18 Su-27UBs, 47 Su-27SM variants, and 24 Su-27SM3s, in addition to 18 basic Su-27s held by the naval aviation of the Russian Navy.
From this, we can infer that the number of aircraft planned for transfer from Russia to North Korea may depend, in particular, on the level of technological advancements in aviation that the Russians are willing to share with their North Korean "colleagues".