"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."
Key developments on Oct. 30: * North Korean soldiers 50 km from Ukraine's border, including special forces, FT reports * Ukraine should strike back if North Korean troops cross into its territory, Biden says * No confidentiality between partners — Zelensky calls out White House over Tomahawk missiles leak * Kremlin denies Russia-Ukraine talks on
Seoul has not received such a request from the Ukrainian side, and the matter is not under consideration, a source in the Presidential Office told the South Korean news agency.
During the phone call, the presidents agreed to "strengthen the sharing of intelligence and expertise and to intensify contacts on all levels, including on the highest level, to develop a response strategy and a list of countermeasures," the Ukrainian president said.
The assessment comes shortly after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on Oct. 28 that North Korea had sent troops to Russia following a meeting with South Korean defense and intelligence officials.
A South Korean delegation will visit Ukraine in the second part of the week to share information on North Korea's troops in Russia and discuss cooperation, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Oct. 28, the Yonhap news agency reported.
A group of almost 200 ex-North Korean soldiers asked to be deployed in Ukraine to help demoralize and influence Pyongyang's troops joining the war on Russia's side, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Oct. 28.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said he had talked to Kyiv about the possible transfer of South Korean weapons but that his response to the allies was "unequivocal."
South Korean law prohibits the exporting of weapons to active conflict zones, but Seoul has repeatedly hinted that this could change in light of deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
South Korea has hinted it could change its long-standing stance on not providing Ukraine directly with weapons in light of the dramatic escalation of North Korea's role in Russia's full-scale invasion. So far, Seoul has only provided humanitarian and non-lethal military aid to Kyiv, but on Oct. 22, a South
"Signs of troops being trained inside North Korea were detected in September and October," Park Sun-won, a member of a parliamentary intelligence committee, said.
Key developments on Oct. 22: * US to provide Ukraine with another $800 million to boost domestic long-range capabilities, Zelensky says * Ukrainian drones target Russian alcohol plants overnight, local authorities claim * North Korea has sent pilots to Russia to join its war in Ukraine, Newsweek reports * South Korea considering sending military
"While watching signs of North Korea-Russia military cooperation, the response measures will be taken in steps," a government source told the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Russia's war in Ukraine is on the verge of escalating dramatically, with multiple reports, intelligence assessments, and a video suggesting North Korean troops could soon be fighting alongside Kremlin forces. While Pyongyang has long supplied Moscow with weaponry, the deployment of boots on the ground would mark a significant development
South Korea on Oct. 21 summoned the Russian ambassador in Seoul, Georgy Zinoviev, to protest the dispatch of North Korean troops to assist Moscow's war against Ukraine, the Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service said it believes North Korea will deploy four brigades totalling 12,000 soldiers to the war in Ukraine, including special forces.
"There will be no war of the 1953 model. I am talking about Korean War. It ended in summer 2023 in Ukraine, when two professional armies of more than a million personnel each faced each other in the battlefield," said Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K.
The move came after Russia and China have blocked monitoring activities at the United Nations. In March, Moscow vetoed the annual renewal of the panel of experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Earlier in October, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun told lawmakers that North Korea was likely planning to send troops to Ukraine to fight alongside Russia.
Victory in war is sometimes easy to define. World War II ended with Allied troops in control of Berlin and Tokyo, and with the German and Japanese leadership removed. The Vietnam War, on the other hand, ended in a clear defeat for the United States: North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam
"As Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual treaty akin to a military alliance, the possibility of such a deployment is highly likely," South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun said in the parliament.
Seoul previously donated $12 million to the NATO-Ukraine Trust Fund for healthcare and rehabilitation of injured soldiers.
Growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea poses a "distinct threat and a grave challenge to the peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in Europe," South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol told Reuters on July 8.
Though Stoltenberg didn't refer to it, Seoul said it would consider supplying Ukraine with weapons in response to Moscow's recently announced security agreement with North Korea.
Aurus, the luxury car company in question, imported at least $34 million in South Korean parts between 2018 and 2023, according to customs data seen by Reuters.
"There are various options for providing weapons, and our position on the recent developments between Russia and North Korea depends on how Russia approaches the situation going forward," the unnamed presidential official told Yonhap.
Russia will take decisions that are "unlikely to please South Korea" if Seoul decides to send arms to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters at the end of his visit to Vietnam on June 20.
Up until now, Seoul has only provided humanitarian aid to Kyiv, though it has been reported the country has indirectly supplied artillery shells via the U.S.
Seoul spotted at least 10,000 containers being shipped from North Korea to Russia, South Korea’s Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said. Pyongyang also sent dozens of ballistic missiles that Moscow troops launch against Ukraine, he added.
South Korea's intelligence service is conducting a review into suspicions that North Korea has provided Russia with artillery shells and other weaponry made in the 1970s, the country's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on May 12.
Russia is currently holding a number of U.S. nationals on what are widely believed to be trumped up charges.
South Korea has imposed new sanctions against two Russian organizations, two individuals, and two ships over cooperation with North Korea, the South Korean Foreign Ministry reported on April 2.
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