South Korean soldiers. Photo: Antony Wallace / AFP
South Korea is considering sending military intelligence officers to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops who are reportedly fighting on the side of Russia. This was reported on Tuesday by the South Korean Yonhap news agency, citing an anonymous government source, The Moscow Times reports.
Seoul’s intelligence services said last Friday that Pyongyang has sent a “significant number” of troops to Russia to take part in the war against Ukraine, including 1,500 special forces who are already undergoing training in Russia’s Far East and may soon be sent to the front.
North Korea’s representative to the UN later called the statements “unfounded rumours”. Russia has not yet confirmed the participation of North Korean troops, but defended its military cooperation with Pyongyang, saying that it is “not directed against South Korea’s security interests” after Seoul summoned the Russian ambassador for explanations.
“There is a possibility that personnel will be sent to Ukraine to monitor the tactics and combat capabilities of North Korean special forces sent to support Russia,” Yonhap quoted a Seoul government source as saying.
These soldiers will reportedly be recruited from South Korean intelligence units to analyse North Korea’s battlefield tactics and assist in the interrogation of captured North Korean soldiers. The Seoul authorities are also considering the possibility of supplying Ukraine not only with humanitarian and logistical assistance, but also with defensive and eventually lethal weapons.
On Tuesday, South Korea strongly condemned Pyongyang’s actions, calling for the immediate withdrawal of its troops and warning of “gradual countermeasures” in cooperation with the international community.
South Korea’s Defence Ministry has previously stated that Moscow could provide Pyongyang with financial assistance or advanced technology in exchange for supporting the war.
Washington and its allies have already expressed concern over North Korea’s supply of weapons to Russia that are being used at the frontline. US Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood said that North Korea’s plans to send troops to Ukraine are a “dangerous and very disturbing” development in Russian-North Korean military relations.
On Tuesday, Yonhap also reported that a photo showing the flags of Russia and North Korea flying side by side on the battlefield in Ukraine was published on a pro-Russian Telegram channel.
