North Korea denies sending troops to Russia to support it in the war in Ukraine
North Korea denied on Monday sending troops to Russia to support it in the war in Ukraine, while a representative of Pyongyang to the United Nations described Seoul’s announcement in this regard as a “baseless rumor”.
“Regarding the so-called military cooperation with Russia, my delegation doesn’t feel the need to comment on these baseless and stereotypical rumors,” a North Korean representative told a session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday evening.
He added that what Seoul announced “aims to tarnish the image of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and undermine the legitimate, friendly relations and cooperative ties between two sovereign states”.
South Korea on Monday summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul to demand the immediate withdrawal of troops sent by Pyongyang to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said.
South Korea’s intelligence agency said Friday that about 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers are in Russia to acclimatize before heading to the front soon, expecting a total of 12,000 troops to be sent.
In its report, the South Korean National Intelligence Service published detailed satellite images showing, according to it, the first deployment of these soldiers.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a government source, that Seoul is considering sending a delegation to Ukraine, including military intelligence personnel, to monitor the deployment of North Korean forces.
While relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at their lowest point in decades, North Korea has drawn closer to Russia, an ally of the Pyongyang regime since its founding after World War II.
South Korea and the United States have long maintained that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Pyongyang in June, during which the two countries signed a mutual defense treaty.
Details of the treaty have not been disclosed, prompting speculation about other arms transfers that violate UN sanctions on Russia and North Korea.
For its part, the United States said on Monday that North Korea sending troops to support Russia in Ukraine would constitute a dangerous development, following South Korean intelligence reports in this regard.
“We’ve seen reports that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has sent troops and is preparing to send more troops to Ukraine to fight alongside Russia,” said Robert Wood, the US deputy ambassador to the United Nations.
“If true, this is a dangerous and deeply concerning development and reflects a clear strengthening of military relations between North Korea and Russia,” he added.
“We’re consulting with our allies and partners on the implications of such a dramatic move,” he added.
