Growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including arms transfers and possible deployment of troops to support Moscow in Ukraine, has become a “serious security threat” to the international community. This was stated on Friday by South Korea’s presidency of the UN Security Council, according to AFP and Reuters.
In a statement issued by the office of the South Korean president, it was emphasised that Pyongyang’s support goes “beyond the transfer of military equipment” and goes beyond the direct deployment of troops, which is a serious threat not only to South Korea but also to the entire international community.
In response to this situation, South Korean President Yun Seok-yol convened an urgent meeting with representatives of the intelligence, armed forces and national security to discuss the possible involvement of the North Korean military in the conflict. The meeting concluded that close ties between Russia and North Korea pose a serious threat.
Although South Korean officials have not provided specific details on the nature and extent of the possible deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, there are suspicions that some of them may be involved in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
As a reminder, on Thursday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused North Korea of supplying military officers to Russia and preparing to send thousands of troops to support Russian military operations in Ukraine. At the same time, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that there was no evidence of Pyongyang’s involvement in this stage of the war in Ukraine.
