News Feed

Zelensky urges China to help stop North Korean military aid to Russia

2 min read
Zelensky urges China to help stop North Korean military aid to Russia
Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers leave after bowing before the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il during National Memorial Day on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea on Dec. 17, 2018. (Kim Won Jin / AFP via Getty Images)

President Volodymyr Zelensky urged China to use its influence over North Korea to prevent the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the frontline, during his evening address on Dec. 27.

He emphasized the severe losses in Kursk Oblast that North Korean soldiers have faced thus far.

“They have many losses. Very many. And we see that the Russian military and North Korean overseers are not at all interested in their survival,” he said.

Zelensky described reports of North Korean soldiers being sent into poorly protected assaults by Russian forces and are sometimes even executed by their own people.

He called the situation “a manifestation of the madness that dictatorships are capable of” and appealed to China.

“The Korean people should not lose their people in battles in Europe. And this can be influenced, in particular, by Korea's neighbors, in particular, China. If China is sincere in its statements that the war should not expand, appropriate influence on Pyongyang is necessary,” Zelensky said.

China has strengthened its ties with Russia since the beginning of its full-scale war against Ukraine. However, Beijing has denied allegations of aiding Russia's war effort.

Since February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited China twice — first just days before he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and again in May 2024.

Beijing has also positioned itself as a mediator, sending envoy Li Hui on multiple rounds of shuttle diplomacy in Europe.

Seoul confirms Ukrainian capture of wounded North Korean soldier in Kursk Oblast
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.
Article image
Avatar
Sonya Bandouil

North American news editor

Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC. Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.

Read more
News Feed
Show More