South Korea announced on Tuesday that it is considering a series of “step-by-step measures” in response to deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, possibly including arms shipments to Ukraine.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Last week, North Korea decided to send about 12,000 troops to support Russia's fight in Ukraine, with the first 1,500 already on the ground in Vladivostok for training.
The National Intelligence Service announced that North Korean soldiers sent to Russia were given Russian-made military uniforms and weapons, as well as fake identification cards. The report corroborates the movement of suspicious Russian vessels near North Korean ports and photos that appear to show North Korean soldiers gathered near two locations in Russia last week.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said Two weeks ago, it was said that it was “highly likely” that a North Korean military officer had been killed while working with Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
On Saturday, Ukrainian officials released A video purportedly shows North Korean soldiers queuing up at an unknown location to receive Russian military uniforms and other equipment. This video has not yet been verified by an independent source.
“The video clearly shows that North Korean citizens are given Russian military uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” said Ihor Solovey, director of the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. he claimed.
“This video is important for Ukraine because it is the first video evidence that North Korea is participating in the war on the side of Russia,” Solovey said.
South Korea summoned The Russian ambassador on Monday called for “the immediate withdrawal of all North Korean troops.”
In response, Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev reassured South Korea that any “cooperation between Russia and North Korea” “does not go against South Korea's security interests.”
north korea said On Monday, it said reports about the dispatch of troops to Russia were “baseless and stereotypical rumors aimed at tarnishing the image of North Korea and undermining legitimate, friendly, and cooperative relations between sovereign nations.” said.
South Korea was unfazed by this sense of security. Kim Tae-hyo, assistant secretary of national security, said Tuesday repeated The government is demanding the “immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops.”
“If illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia continues, we will not stand idly by and will respond decisively in cooperation with the international community,” he said.
Kim said North Korea was behaving like a “criminal organization'' by sending troops to fight as “Russian mercenaries'' while its people were suffering. He said South Korea is considering the possibility of escalating its response in stages if North Korean troops do not withdraw.
“We will consider providing weapons for defensive purposes as part of a phased scenario, but we may also consider offensive use if this appears to be going too far,” he said.
Kim said Other steps could involve a mix of “diplomatic, economic and military measures,” but it did not elaborate on what those measures might include.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-Yeol's administration has openly discussed the idea of sending weapons to Ukraine since North Korea and Russia. signed A mutual defense treaty signed when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang in June.
Putin said the “landmark” treaty “provides for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one party.”
Analyst at the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said On Monday, Russia announced that despite its curt dismissal, it was genuinely concerned that it may have pushed South Korea too far and was now “working hard to de-escalate tensions.”
ISW said that Russia had previously made several friendly overtures to South Korea, and that its diplomatic efforts are now increasing as South Korea moves toward “providing necessary military assistance to Ukraine.” He said he was “very concerned” that it would go to waste.
The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have responded cautiously to South Korea's claims that North Korean troops are fighting on Russia's behalf. Neither would go on record to confirm or deny the South Korean government's report on North Korean military training in Vladivostok.
NATO Secretary Mark Rutte said On Monday, he discussed “the close partnership between NATO and Seoul, defense industrial cooperation, and interconnected security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific” with South Korean President Yoon.
“For North Korea to send troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine would represent a significant escalation,” he said.
U.S. officials said skeptical Regarding Ukraine's claims that a significant number of North Korean mercenaries are already fighting for Russia, they say that North Korean support personnel, technicians and observers have been integrated into Russian forces, and that ballistic missiles Russia has purchased from Pyongyang. We believe that there is a possibility of supporting the deployment of
