SEOUL: South Korea, the United States, and Japan are urging China to adopt a “constructive” stance regarding the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, as disclosed by a senior official from Seoul’s presidential office. The call for China’s involvement comes amid rising concerns over North Korea’s recent troop deployments to Russia, which were discussed during a trilateral meeting in Washington, D.C., involving South Korea’s National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik and his counterparts, Jake Sullivan from the U.S. and Takeo Akiba from Japan.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul official, speaking anonymously, highlighted China’s potential unease with North Korea’s military activities with Russia, describing the situation as the most significant level of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. The official expressed hopes that China would act constructively in light of these developments, which South Korea, the U.S., and Japan regard as illegal activities by North Korea an
d Russia.
Seoul’s intelligence agency has indicated that North Korea plans to send approximately 10,000 troops to Russia by the year’s end, with around 3,000 already deployed this month. Washington has corroborated these troop movements. Observers note that China is under increasing pressure to act as a responsible global actor, particularly given the potential for these deployments to exacerbate the conflict in Ukraine and affect security in the Indo-Pacific region.
The official elaborated on discussions between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo regarding potential responses to evolving scenarios as North Korea and Russia’s military cooperation advances. Presently, North Korean troops are undergoing familiarization training in eastern Russia, with the possibility of redeployment to western Russia and eventual involvement in frontline operations.
Potential roles for North Korean troops include frontline combat, rear-area support, vigilance missions, or logistical support. The official also suggested that North
Korea might receive technological support for its nuclear, missile, or air defense capabilities as compensation for its troop dispatch to Russia.