South Korea Pays Attention To The Possibility Of North Korea Sending Its Personnel To The Ukrainian War

Ukrainian troops managed to break through the Russian Kursk region. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - South Korea's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday it was "monitoring closely" signs North Korea might send troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, following media reports about Russia forming a North Korean battalion.

Ukrainian media previously reported that Russia was organizing a special battalion estimated to cover up to 3,000 North Koreans due to a shortage of personnel amid concerns over deeper military cooperation between the two countries.

"Because there is a possibility (North Korea) is providing troops or civilian personnel, this is being monitored closely," a ministry official said, quoted by The Korea Times Oct. 17.

Meanwhile, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government was monitoring signs of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, recording Seoul's "deep concern" over reports of widespread cooperation surpassing the arms trade and deployment of troops.

"Any cooperation that indirectly or directly helps North Korea strengthen its military force constitutes a violation of UN Security Council resolutions," the official said.

"(We) once again urge the termination of illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," he continued.

South Korea, the United States and other countries accuse North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, which violates UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea over its missile and nuclear programs.

Last week, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun told MPs North Korea was likely to deploy troops to Ukraine to support Russia, after Ukrainian media reported that six North Koreans were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory earlier this month.

Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday North Korea de factoably participated on Russia's side in the fight against Ukraine, with its intelligence units confirming the supply of weapons and North Korean personnel to Russia.

"Our intelligence not only records arms shipments from North Korea to Russia, but also personnel deliveries," President Zelensky told parliament.

Moscow and Pyongyang themselves have signed a comprehensive partnership agreement signed by President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on June 19, 2924.