The involvement of North Korean aviation in the war in Ukraine is highly unlikely.
This opinion was expressed on the "Kyiv 24" channel by Colonel of the Ukrainian Air Force and first-class test pilot Alexander Likhodid. He explained that North Korean aviation is far from modern standards.
According to him, the North Korean fleet mainly consists of outdated aircraft, such as the MiG-29 and Su-25. The remaining aircraft are old Soviet machines from the 1950s to 1970s, which resemble scrap metal more than combat units.
"We are already afraid of everything happening around us. In North Korea, there is virtually no aviation. There are about 30 MiG-29s and a little more Su-25s left. Everything else is scrap from the mid-20th century," Likhodid stated.
Despite this, the colonel did not rule out the possibility of North Korean pilots arriving in Russia. According to him, this would not be unusual, as North Korea and Russia have longstanding military relations. He specifically noted that Russians might use this conflict to train North Korean pilots in combat conditions.
"I don't know if there are Korean pilots in Russia, but it would make sense. They could come and train in real war conditions, but the MiG-29 is not used in modern conflict. It's a base defense aircraft," he emphasized.
At the same time, Likhodid pointed out the potential need for retraining North Korean pilots on more modern models, such as the Su-35 or Su-30SM. North Korea may be interested in this, considering its own regional ambitions directed against South Korea and Japan.
However, Likhodid is confident that North Korean pilots will not take part directly in the war against Ukraine.