South Korean delegation heads to Ukraine to share intel on DPRK troop deployment

Yonhap reported the information.

The visit of the delegation was announced by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

During the conversation, the South Korean leader said that on October 29, the South Korean delegation would hold a briefing for the EU Political and Security Committee and then travel to Ukraine, where it plans to meet with representatives of the intelligence and defense ministries to exchange information from the battlefield and discuss cooperation.

“I hope that under Secretary General Rutte's leadership, NATO will redouble efforts to monitor and block illegal exchanges between Russia and North Korea in solidarity and coordination,” said Yoon.

Prior to that, he had a separate phone conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with whom he also shared information about the DPRK's troop movements to Russia and discussed cooperation with the European Union.

The South Korean President emphasized that illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea fundamentally undermines the rules-based international order and poses a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and around the world. 

He called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops from Russia and an end to military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, promising to explore joint practical measures with the EU and its member states in response.

In her turn, Von der Leyen expressed serious concern over the deployment of DPRK troops in Russia, which, according to her, grossly violates international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

“The head of the European Commission said that the DPRK's troops in Russia are a serious problem that will further aggravate the conflict in Ukraine, and emphasized Brussels' readiness to actively cooperate with Seoul to counter growing security threats,” the South Korean leader's office said.

Military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK

On October 4, the Kyiv Post reported that 20 soldiers were killed in a missile strike on occupied Donetsk, including six North Korean military personnel advising the Russian army.

The South Korean Defense Minister warned on October 8 that North Korea may deploy troops to Ukraine in support of Russia.

At an October 17 press conference in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed Russia's plan to train 10,000 North Korean soldiers for combat in Ukraine.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, later reported that 11,000 North Korean infantrymen are training in eastern Russia, preparing for deployment to Ukraine. He added that the first unit of 2,600 soldiers is en route to Kursk, where Ukraine has established a stronghold.

Ukraine has since shared intelligence with NATO about North Korea’s military involvement and requested data from alliance members.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the participation of the North Korean military in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia would mean a “significant escalation.” 

Later, it was reported that South Korea was considering providing Ukraine with military and intelligence assistance in response to North Korea's sending its military to fight on the side of Russia.

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported that on October 23, the North Korean military was spotted in the Kursk region.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that according to intelligence, the first North Korean military would be used by Russia in combat zones on October 27-28.

On October 25, South Korea's intelligence agency announced that North Korea plans to send a second batch of its military personnel to Russia, totaling up to 10,000 people.

Later, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in the Kursk region of Russia, noting that this was “a significant escalation in the DPRK's ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war.”

During the Ukraine-Northern Europe summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian army is already using North Korean soldiers on the territory of Ukraine.

Amid growing concerns about Pyongyang's involvement in the war in Ukraine, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is on her way to Moscow.