Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yul met with Ukraine’s top diplomat to deliberate on responses to the war in Ukraine. The two foreign ministers plan to flesh out their discussions during an upcoming visit by a Ukrainian special envoy to South Korea.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Cho, while in Piacenza, Italy, for the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, held bilateral talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday. Their discussions centered around the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, developments in the Ukraine conflict, and South Korea’s support for Ukraine.
Cho emphasized that the illicit military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including weapons transfers and troop deployments, has inextricably linked the security of the Korean Peninsula with that of Europe. “Our government will implement incremental and effective measures in proportion to the advancement of Russia-North Korea military cooperation and the resulting threats to our national security,” he added.
With reports of North Korean troops being deployed to Russia, concerns are mounting not only about the situation in Ukraine but also about potential security threats to South Korea. The government’s tacit acknowledgment that North Korean forces may be engaged in actual combat has intensified deliberations on how to respond to this escalating situation.
South Korean intelligence sources report that approximately 11,000 North Korean troops were moved to the Kursk region in late October. These forces have reportedly been integrated into Russian airborne and marine units and have participated in active combat operations. While some U.S. media outlets claimed that over 500 North Korean soldiers were killed in Ukrainian missile strikes, the U.S. Department of Defense has stated that it cannot confirm these claims.
Kuleba emphasized the necessity of a coordinated response, noting that the deployment of North Korean troops has raised mutual security concerns for both Ukraine and South Korea. He expressed hope that a Ukrainian special envoy would soon visit South Korea to advance these discussions. He added that they anticipate continuing their close collaboration in information sharing and monitoring developments to respond effectively to the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
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