BRUSSELS: A South Korean government delegation is set to visit Belgium to inform officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) about North Korea’s recent deployment of troops to Russia, according to Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).
According to Yonhap News Agency, the delegation, led by Hong Jang-won, the first deputy director of the NIS, will arrive at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday. The visit aims to provide insight into the growing military collaboration between Pyongyang and Moscow. Representatives from all 32 NATO member countries are expected to attend this briefing, which will be succeeded by another session at the EU’s Political and Security Committee.
This visit follows a request from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who, during a phone conversation with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday, asked for the dispatch of a South Korean team. The delegation will also engage in discussions with Rutte and other senior officials fr
om NATO and the EU.
South Korea, in conjunction with the United States, has reported that North Korea has dispatched approximately 3,000 troops to eastern Russia. The NIS anticipates that this number could rise to about 10,000 soldiers by December. The deployment includes elite military units and signifies a significant expansion of North Korea’s military relationship with Russia, which had previously been limited to the provision of artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles.
Seoul has expressed concerns that North Korean troops may actively support Russian forces in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, viewing such actions as a breach of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.