Pyongyang has also reportedly supplied Moscow with more short-range ballistic missiles, 170 mm self-propelled howitzers, and 240 mm multiple rocket launchers.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha discussed the potential transfer of two North Korean POWs in a phone call.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who supervised the launch, ordered the country's military to be in full nuclear strike readiness as "the most perfect deterrence and defence capacity."
Seoul further warned that Pyongyang is likely preparing to send additional troops and arms to back Russia's war in Ukraine, confirming earlier warnings by the Ukrainian intelligence.
Kyiv is open to negotiating with South Korea over the possible transfer of captured North Korean soldiers, Ukrainian Ambassador to Seoul Dmytro Ponomarenko said in an interview with The Korea Times published on Feb. 5.
"Since mid-January, there have been no signs showing North Korean troops deployed to the Russian Kursk region engaging in battle," South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said, suggesting that heavy losses may have been one of the reasons for their withdrawal.
North Korea is reportedly preparing to send more troops to Russia to fuel the war in Ukraine, even after significant losses, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported.
Seoul plans to hold consultations with Kyiv regarding the transfer of captured North Korean soldiers if they request defection, Yonhap reported on Jan. 14, citing South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong.
The NIS attributed the high casualties to the soldiers' "lack of understanding of modern warfare," including their "useless" attempts to shoot down long-range drones.
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One potential target for Russian strikes identified in the plans is a nuclear complex in Tokai, Japan.
President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences on Dec. 29 to the families of victims and the people of South Korea following a tragic Jeju Air plane crash that killed at least 176 people, marking the worst disaster involving a South Korean airline in decades.
The confirmation followed a report from Ukraine's military-focused news outlet Militarnyi on Dec. 26, which first revealed the capture without specifying the date of the incident.
North Korea appears to be preparing to supply more arms to Russia on top of some 20,000 containers it had already sent, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 23 based on its analysis of satellite images.
North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops and weapons, including kamikaze drones, to aid Russia in its full-scale war against Ukraine, the South Korean military said on Dec. 23.
At least 100 North Korean troops have been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker said after an intelligence briefing, the BBC reported on Dec. 19.
South Korea imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and 15 entities "engaged in illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Dec. 17.
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In April of this year, Kyiv and Seoul signed an agreement enabling Ukraine to attract up to $2.1 billion in concessional loans over 2024-2029.
"For the Republic of Korea, these actions pose a serious threat, as North Korean troops are gaining combat experience, which could present additional security challenges in the region in the future," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said following his visit to South Korea.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Seoul on Nov. 27 to discuss the deepening military ties between Russia and North Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported.
A Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov arrived in South Korea on Nov. 27, with the aim of requesting military aid from Seoul, several media outlets reported.
South Korea's national security advisor Shin Won-sik on Nov. 22 said Moscow had provided Pyongyang with economic and military technology in exchange for the troops.
South Korea did not provide artillery shells of its own production, nor did it make financial contributions to the purchase of shells from other countries under the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine from third countries.
Key developments on Nov. 7: * Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia kills 9, injures 42, damages hospital * Ukraine may have targeted Iranian weapon supply routes in Dagestan strike, media suggests * South Korea "not ruling out" supplying arms to Ukraine, president says * Russian drone attack on Kyiv damages buildings, causes fires in five
"Now, depending on the level of North Korean involvement, we will gradually adjust our support strategy in phases," South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told the media. "This means we are not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons."
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a phone call on Nov. 7 after the former won the U.S. presidential election, discussing future cooperation.
"Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an existential threat. The Republic of Korea is best positioned to understand it," Josep Borrell said on X after meeting South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun.
North Korean soldiers are believed to receive $2,000 per month for their service from Russia, adding up to a total of at least $200 million annually if calculated by 10,000 soldiers, Wi Sung-lac, a member of the South Korean parliamentary intelligence committee, told The Korea Herald.
In a lengthy post on social media on Oct. 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to develop "concrete solutions" to provide additional supports for Ukraine as North Korean troops prepare to engage Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. North Korean soldiers were deployed to Kursk Oblast in late October in
"The evidence now suggests the that North Korea has sent about 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Oct. 30. "And some of these DPRK troops have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we are seeing them outfitted with Russian uniforms and provided with Russian equipment."
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