Anthony Blinken. Photo: Reuters
This week, a meeting between the US and South Korean foreign and defence ministers will be held in Washington to discuss growing international tensions over the possible deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, which has been waging war against Ukraine for three years, dpa reports.
The talks, which are scheduled for Thursday, will be attended by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. South Korea will be represented by Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, according to a statement issued by the US State Department on Sunday.
The main goal of the meeting is to strengthen the strategic alliance between the two countries, including discussing global and regional security issues. In particular, the talks will take place against the backdrop of reports that North Korea has sent several thousand of its troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine. Earlier last week, South Korea’s intelligence service told parliament that Pyongyang had already sent about 3,000 soldiers to Russia, according to local news agency Yonhap. The Seoul government condemned these actions as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter.
The US Secretary of Defence confirmed that the US has “evidence” of the presence of North Korean troops in Russia, although their specific mission is still unknown.
The United States considers Pyongyang’s alliance with Moscow to be threatening and has repeatedly accused the DPRK of supplying ammunition and weapons to support Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.
