The secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (also known as NATO), Mark Rutte, confirmed this Monday that North Korean troops have been effectively deployed in the Russian Kursk regiona front-line area in the war conflict with Ukraine.
“Today I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed in the Kursk region,” Rutte told reporters after participating in a briefing by a high-level South Korean delegation.
The South Korean delegationmade up of intelligence and government officials, attended a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at NATO headquarters in Brussels for the briefing. This meeting was also attended by ambassadors from NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific: Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. The NAC is the main decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
NATO warns of global threat to military cooperation
At the briefing they discussed deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. This It took place amid alleged reports that Russia is deploying North Korean troops to frontline positions in its protracted war with Ukraine.
The NATO Secretary General stated that the deployment represents “a significant escalation” of North Korea’s continued participation in “Russia’s illegal war.”
In this regard, he added that the deepening of military cooperation between these two countries is a threat to both the security of the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic.
North Korea accelerates troop deployment to Russia
Previously, Ukraine had reported that South Korean troops had begun moving into the Kursk border region of western Russia, where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion in August.
After the briefing, South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, who led the delegation, stated that the deployment of North Korean units to Kursk is happening faster than anticipated.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol also spoke at the meeting and commented that the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia’s war with Ukraine could take place “sooner than expected,” calling the latest developments “very serious.” .
Hong added that they had initially informed the government that it would take until early December at least. However, it appears that both its northern neighbors and Russia have decided to pick up the pace since the intelligence became public.
North Korea sends troops to Russia to support war in Ukraine
Presence of North Korean military advisor in Russia confirmed
The first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service also reported that a military advisor close to the chairman of the North Korean State Affairs Committee, Kim Jong-un, has already been sent to the Eurasian country.
Days earlier, the Japanese agency Kyodo News had already reported, citing a Ukrainian military source, that Kim Yong-bok, deputy chief of the General Staff of the North Korean People’s Army (KPA), had been in Russia on Thursday of last week. . The North Korean official had allegedly been supervising North Korean troops at the site.
When asked if the delegation had shared information about Kim Yong-bok with NATO officials, Hong confirmed that it had.
The South Korean delegation seeks international collaboration in support of Ukraine
The delegation’s visit came after, during a recent phone call with the South Korean president, Rutte requested that South Korean representatives hold a briefing.
The delegation is expected to hold talks with Rutte and also other senior NATO and European Union (EU) officials in order to remain informed and try to find solutions.
Future talks could cover, among other topics, measures to support Ukraine, including the potential sending of South Korean intelligence personnel to kyiv to monitor the activity of North Korean troops. They could also address South Korea’s options for helping Ukraine, possibly reconsidering its policy of providing only non-lethal aid, in favor of provide military assistance.
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