South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to protest North Korea’s decision to deploy hundreds of soldiers in support of Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, calling for the immediate withdrawal of these forces.
In a significant first for Pyongyang, approximately 1,500 North Korean special forces have arrived in Russia, with Seoul’s intelligence agency reporting that they are expected to be deployed to the front lines after acclimating. Additional troops are reportedly set to follow.
South Korea has long accused North Korea of supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, and in June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a military agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We express grave concern over North Korea’s recent troop dispatch to Russia and strongly urge the immediate withdrawal of North Korean forces,” said Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun during a meeting with Russian Ambassador Georgiy Zinoviev on Monday.
Seoul’s spy agency also released satellite images that it claims show the first contingent of North Korean special forces, known as the elite “Storm Corps,” arriving in Vladivostok on Russian military vessels.
Vice Foreign Minister Kim emphasized that any military collaboration between North Korea and Russia violates several United Nations Security Council resolutions. “We condemn North Korea’s illegal military cooperation, including its troop deployment to Russia, in the strongest terms,” he said, adding that South Korea would work with the international community to respond to actions threatening its core security interests.
In response, Ambassador Zinoviev assured that cooperation between Russia and North Korea “is not aimed at undermining South Korea’s security,” according to a statement from the Russian embassy.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Moscow plans to “continue developing this cooperation further.”
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.