Soon a party to the war?

North Korean soldiers are already walking through Moscow

Is North Korea actually entering the Ukraine war? Images from Moscow are fueling precisely this concern.

(Bild: OSINT)

The possible deployment of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine is causing concern among international observers, as it would officially make North Korea a party to the war. Videos from Moscow now indicate that such an advance could indeed be imminent. Early on Wednesday evening, North Korea's ambassador was summoned to the Austrian Foreign Ministry ...

"It was made unmistakably clear to the ambassador that any military support for Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine is a blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law and therefore completely unacceptable," it said.

"He was informed in no uncertain terms that Austria strongly condemns a potential escalation of the Russian war of aggression by supporting North Korea. North Korea is thus jeopardizing efforts to achieve a lasting, just and comprehensive peace in Ukraine and security on the Korean peninsula," the Foreign Ministry warned. North Korea must take de-escalating steps, withdraw its troops from Russia and stop supplying weapons to the aggressor.

While the USA and NATO confirm that North Korean soldiers in Russia are already preparing for a frontline deployment, such cooperation between the rulers Putin and Kim in Moscow is hard to miss.

Officers stroll through Moscow
As can be seen in videos on various Telegram channels, North Korean officers were apparently strolling through Moscow. They appeared to be very close to the people and posed for photos and selfies with residents on Red Square, for example - and were very popular in the process.

South Korea: "Cannot stand idly by"
Internationally, people are more than alarmed by this. South Korea only said on Wednesday that it would "not stand idly by" if North Korea entered the conflict, the Kyiv Post quoted South Korean President Yoon Seok-Yeol as saying. According to the South Korean secret service, North Korea has already sent 3,000 soldiers to Russia, who will presumably be deployed in its war against Ukraine. The intelligence service assumes that North Korea will send a total of 10,000 soldiers to Russia by December.

"If these troops are destined for the fight in Ukraine, this would mean a significant escalation of North Korea's support for Russia's illegal war," emphasized NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah on Wednesday in Brussels. The North Atlantic Council will discuss a response shortly, she added.

Pentagon: "Very, very serious problem"
The Pentagon chief said in almost identical terms: "If they intend to take part in this war on behalf of Russia, then that is a very, very serious problem". This would not only have an impact in Europe, but also on the situation in the Indo-Pacific, warned US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin without giving further details.

"If the reports about North Korean soldiers in #Ukraine are true and #NorthKorea supports the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine with troops, this would be serious and a violation of #internationallaw," wrote the German Foreign Office on Platform X. Supporting Russia's war of aggression "also directly threatens Germany's #security and the European peace order".

The Kremlin remains silent
Russia, however, refused to comment. "Where they are - please clarify this with Pyongyang," raged Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday when asked about the whereabouts of the North Korean soldiers. She also spoke of "media hype".

Any state could then attack North Korea
"By sending its own soldiers, North Korea will become a party to the war. Even if they are under Russian command," explained international law expert Ralph Janik on X (formerly Twitter). This means that any other state can now fight against North Korea under international law, provided that Ukraine requests it, the expert even speaks of "world war vibes".