Seoul: South Korea has issued a strong demand for Russia to immediately remove North Korean troops participating in the conflict in Ukraine, following confirmations by South Korean intelligence about their deployment.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun met with Russian Ambassador to Seoul Georgy Zinoviev on Monday to express the government’s serious concerns. Kim urged Russia to “immediately withdraw North Korean troops and stop relevant cooperation” with Pyongyang, highlighting the threats posed by such military collaborations to both regional and global security.
Kim condemned the military cooperation, which includes the deployment of North Korean troops, as illegal and in violation of several U.N. Security Council resolutions. He warned that South Korea, along with the international community, would respond decisively to any actions endangering its core interests. In response, Zinoviev assured that the cooperation with North Korea was within the bound
s of international law and not aimed against South Korean security interests.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea has disclosed that North Korea dispatched approximately 1,500 soldiers to the Russian Far East to participate in the war in Ukraine and is preparing to send additional troops. These troops have been equipped with Russian military uniforms and weapons and are currently training in Vladivostok and other locations for deployment on the battlefield.
The NIS also provided satellite imagery and photographs showing Russian navy ships near a North Korean port, purportedly for transporting North Korean soldiers. This development marks a significant escalation in the military relationship between North Korea and Russia, which recently pledged mutual military support through a new treaty.