Ukrainian representative to the UN Security Council,Photo: Sergiy Kyslytsya: ukrinform.
On 27 November, the UN Security Council held a meeting on the shelling of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. During the meeting, North Korean representative Kim Song said that the responsibility for the war in Ukraine lies with the United States, which, in his words, “created the crisis to undermine Russia’s territorial integrity”. This was reported by Time Ukraine Israel, citing Radiosvoboda.
In his speech, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, responded sharply to these accusations. “I am forcing myself to stay in this room out of respect for the institution and to tell the DPRK representative directly: you represent a criminal regime that helps another criminal regime. Sooner or later, you and your leadership will end up in the dock, and your people will be free,” Kyslytsya stressed.
Reaction of the United States and Russia
U.S. Representative Robert Wood also did not ignore Kim Sung’s statement, asking whether the DPRK had sent troops to support Russia. In response, the North Korean diplomat said that his country “has the right to develop relations with Russia” and called cooperation with Moscow “consistent with international law and the UN Charter”.
The Russian representative, in turn, criticised the United States, accusing it of “vilifying unwanted countries”, but did not provide a direct answer to the question about the participation of the North Korean military in the war against Ukraine.
Deployment of North Korean troops in Russia
On 24 November, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the presence of more than 11,000 DPRK troops in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. According to Ukrainian, Western, and South Korean intelligence, about 12,000 soldiers from North Korea’s airborne assault units were transferred to Moscow to participate in combat against the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This is the first case of a large-scale deployment of North Korean troops abroad and their use in Europe. The DPRK’s participation in the war violates UN Security Council sanctions that prohibit any military cooperation with the country. Although Russia used to participate in the implementation of these restrictions, it now ignores them, claiming that the sanctions are outdated.
Position of Ukraine and the international community
North Korea’s diplomatic rhetoric at the UN, backed by the facts of its military’s involvement in Russian aggression, is a cause for concern for the international community. The United States has declared its readiness to continue to assist Ukraine in its defence, while Ukraine continues to work to isolate criminal regimes around the world.
