Alliance with North Korea

South Korea summons Russian ambassador

The alliance between North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin is becoming ever closer.

(Bild: The Associated Press)

South Korea's foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul. At the meeting, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun conveyed his regrets to the diplomat Georgi Zinoviev about the deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia. The latter replied that all actions were in accordance with international law.

The Russian diplomat did not comment to journalists present after the meeting at the Foreign Ministry, but the Russian embassy in South Korea published a statement from the ambassador. The cooperation between Russia and North Korea is in accordance with international law, it was emphasized. 

North Korean troop deployment causes international concern
However, Moscow and Seoul have opposing positions on the causes of the tensions on the Korean peninsula, said Zinoviev. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke of a serious security threat "not only for our country, but also for the international community".

North Korean soldiers

(Bild: APA/AFP/Jung Yeon Je)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also warned against the deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine on Monday. If North Korea were to send its soldiers to Ukraine to fight alongside Russia, this would escalate the conflict, Rutte wrote on the short message service X.

Soldiers imported in Russian ships
On Friday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) accused the North Korean army of having already sent around 1,500 soldiers to support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. According to the NIS, the soldiers have been transported in Russian ships to Vladivostok, where they are presumably being prepared for deployment in the war in Ukraine. In total, North Korea is said to have decided to send around 12,000 soldiers for support, including special forces.

Identity of soldiers is concealed
As the NIS also reported, the soldiers are to be given Russian uniforms and false identities in order to conceal their true origins. The intelligence service bases its information on satellite images and facial recognition software, which was used in cooperation with the Ukrainian intelligence service.