South Korea Calls on Russia's Envoy Regarding North Korean Troop Move

Photo : Reuters

South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul on Monday to express its strong condemnation of North Korea's decision to deploy troops to support Moscow in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The South Korean foreign ministry has demanded the immediate withdrawal of these soldiers, asserting that their presence poses a serious threat to regional and global security.

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According to South Korea's intelligence agency, approximately 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers are already in Russia, acclimatising to the environment and preparing for imminent deployment to the front lines. This marks North Korea’s first overseas military deployment and follows a military agreement signed between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun conveyed Seoul's "grave concerns" regarding the situation, emphasizing the need for North Korea's troops to be withdrawn promptly. In a statement, the ministry reiterated that the dispatch of North Korean forces and their cooperation with Russia poses a significant security risk not only to South Korea but also to the broader international community.

During the meeting, Kim Hong-kyun informed the Russian ambassador, Georgiy Zinoviev, that North Korea's provision of weaponry and troops to Russia for the war in Ukraine exacerbates tensions and instability in the region. 

On Friday, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in South Korea released satellite images indicating the movement of North Korean elite soldiers via Russian military vessels to Vladivostok. The agency noted that between October 8 and 13, North Korea transported its special forces to Russia using a Russian Navy transport ship, confirming the initiation of North Korea's military involvement in Moscow’s conflict in Ukraine.

Reports indicate that the first group of troops consists of members from an elite unit within North Korea's Special Operations Forces, known as the "Storm Corps." These soldiers are currently stationed at various military bases throughout Russia's Far East, and they are expected to be deployed to the front lines of the Ukraine conflict as soon as they complete their acclimatisation training.

The NIS also revealed that North Korea has supplied Russia with more than 13,000 containers filled with artillery shells, missiles, anti-tank rockets, and other lethal weaponry since August of the previous year. The long-standing alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow, which dates back to North Korea's founding after World War II, has strengthened significantly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In a related development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted intelligence reports suggesting that North Korea was training 10,000 soldiers to bolster Russian forces in their battle against Ukraine. This strategic collaboration indicates Moscow's reliance on North Korean support to compensate for substantial military losses.

Earlier this month, reports emerged claiming that six North Korean military officers had been killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk, a claim that South Korea's defence minister deemed "highly likely" to be true. This growing entanglement between North Korea and Russia in the ongoing conflict underscores the complexities of regional security dynamics and the potential ramifications for global stability.