Josep Borrell visits South Korea as concerns rise over North Korean troops in Russia

Reuters reported the information.

Borrell traveled to South Korea following a visit to Japan and made a stop at the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea, he shared in a post on the social media platform X on Sunday.

"My visit today of the Demilitarized Zone - DMZ - between the Republic of Korea and the DPRK is yet another reminder of the need to invest more in peace," Borrell stated in the post, referring to the initials of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Borrell is in South Korea to advance security and defense cooperation between the EU and Seoul to "the next level," he noted in a separate post, without providing further details.

This inaugural Strategic Dialogue meeting between the EU and South Korea takes place as Washington and Seoul have been raising concerns about North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia to support its war in Ukraine.

Borrell met with South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun in Seoul on Monday, where he voiced concerns over the situation, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Last week, Cho indicated that all options were on the table when asked if South Korea might consider sending weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea's support for Russia.

South Korea has supplied Ukraine with non-lethal assistance, such as mine clearance equipment, but has so far refrained from fulfilling Kyiv’s requests for weapons.

Seoul also anticipates that North Korea may receive compensation from Moscow in the form of military and civilian technology, as it accelerates efforts to launch a spy satellite and enhance its missile capabilities.

“North Korea last week flexed its military muscle with the test of a huge new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed Hwasong-19,” the report notes.

• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington anticipates North Korean troops stationed in Russia's Kursk region will join the combat in Ukraine within days.
• During discussions in Moscow on Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui affirmed that North Korea intends to support Russia until it secures victory in the Ukraine war.