The South Korean President confirmed Yoon Suk YeolOn Thursday, his country would not “remain idle” while its northern neighbor sent thousands of soldiers to help Russia In its war on Ukraine, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
The intelligence service stated in Seoul About 3,000 North Korean soldiers are currently training in Russia and are likely to be deployed on the front lines in a confrontation. Ukraine Soon, while more soldiers are expected to be sent by December.
Both NATO confirmednatto) and Washington that North Korean soldiers are receiving training in Russia, and warned that their participation in the Ukraine war constitutes a dangerous escalation in the conflict that began in early 2022.
Yoon said after talks with the Polish President Andrzej Duda Who is visiting the country until Friday if “South Korea “We will not remain idle about this.”
He added that his country and Poland, a NATO member, agreed that the deployment of North Korean forces is “a provocation that threatens global security beyond borders.” Korean Peninsula And Europe.”
Duda held talks with Yoon on Thursday, after which the two presidents “strongly condemned the development north korea The missiles, its nuclear program, and its provocations, in addition to its military cooperation with Russia.”
Seoul Foreign Ministry: All options are on the table
For his part, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said that his government cannot remain negative about responding to North Korea sending troops to Russia to help in the fight against Ukraine.
South Korean Yonhap News Agency quoted Cho as saying during a hearing before Parliament on Thursday: “I do not think we are in a position where we can stand idly by when the matter ultimately becomes a threat to our security.”
In response to a question from a parliamentarian, Cho said whether the South Korean government would discuss the issue of providing weapons directly to Ukraine, “All options are on the table.”
He later added that North Korea’s deployment of its forces “would not have happened without Moscow promising it something in return.”
It is worth noting that Seoul has not yet supplied Ukraine with any heavy weapons, fearing that this would lead to an escalation of the war.
The Russian Parliament approves the military exchange with North Korea
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Russian Parliament ratified an agreement with North Korea on mutual military assistance, a step confirmed United States of America 3,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia, according to the Associated Press.
And a voice State DumaThe lower house of the Russian Parliament quickly adopted the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, which was signed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin With North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to Pyongyang last June. The Supreme Council is expected to follow the Duma’s example soon.
The agreement obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance by “all means” if either of them is attacked, and it represents the strongest link between them. Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.
The United States confirmed on Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to Russia and were being trained in several locations. It described the step as extremely dangerous and warned that those forces would be “vulnerable to attack” if they went to fight in Ukraine.
North Korea and Russia have previously rejected assertions by the United States and its allies that Pyongyang gave Moscow ballistic missiles and millions of artillery shells for use in Ukraine.
When Putin was asked in June whether North Korean forces could fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine under the agreement, he said there was no need but also announced for the first time that Russia could supply weapons to Pyongyang.
Observers said that in exchange for military support, Moscow could share advanced weapons technologies with Pyongyang to help it improve its own capabilities.Ballistic missiles And artificial satellites.