South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced on 28 October that a delegation will visit Ukraine this week to share intelligence about North Korean troop deployment to Russia and discuss cooperation measures, Yonhap News reports.
According to Yoon’s office, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed during a phone call that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast, a front-line area north of Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast.
“I hope that under Secretary General Rutte’s leadership, NATO will redouble efforts to monitor and block illegal exchanges between Russia and North Korea in solidarity and coordination,” Yoon said during the call.
The South Korean delegation will brief the EU Political and Security Committee on 29 October before proceeding to Ukraine for meetings with intelligence and defense officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated on 27 October that North Korean forces might join the war “in a matter of days.”
“This unlawful military cooperation between Russia and North Korea fundamentally undermines the rules-based international order and poses a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and globally,” Yoon stated, calling for immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and cessation of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Last week, Yoon indicated Seoul might consider providing arms to Ukraine, potentially shifting from its current policy of humanitarian aid only.
Related:
- Kim Jong-un sends his elite forces to Ukraine -“too valuable to be cannon fodder,” says former US diplomat
- NATO confirms presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast
- WSJ: North Korea sends young, inexperienced, malnourished soldiers to Russia to test ground in Ukraine as “mere cannon fodder”
- South Korean delegation to brief NATO on North Korean troops in Russia
- Zelenskyy: Ukraine will have to fight in Europe against North Korea
