Seoul demands immediate withdrawal of elite soldiers reportedly helping Russia in its war against Ukraine
Justin McCurry
21 October 2024
The Guardian
South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul to protest “in the strongest terms” about the reported dispatch of thousands of North Korean troops to help Russia in its war against Ukraine. The first vice-foreign minister, Kim Hong-kyun, told the Russian envoy, Georgy Zinoviev, that the participation of North Korean troops in the war violated UN resolutions and demanded their immediate withdrawal, South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. “We condemn North Korea’s illegal military cooperation, including its dispatch of troops to Russia, in the strongest terms,” Kim said, adding that the deployment posed a serious threat to the security of South Korea and other countries. “We will respond jointly with the international community by mobilising all available means against acts that threaten our core security interests.”
The decision to call in Zinoviev reflects mounting anger in South Korea, Ukraine and the US over the apparent deployment of North Korean troops as part of a secret military deal struck this year by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
South Korea’s national intelligence service said last week that North Korea had sent an initial contingent of 1,500 special forces personnel to the Russian far east for training at local military bases, adding that they were expected to go on active service in the war in Ukraine.
On Friday, the spy agency had said North Korea planned to send about 12,000 special forces to support Russia, possibly to make up for substantial losses of Russian troops and a lack of replacements. It also released satellite images it said showed the first deployment of elite North Korean soldiers being moved by Russian military vessels to Vladivostok between 8 and 13 October. “North Korea transported its special forces to Russia via a Russian navy transport ship, confirming the start of North Korea’s military participation,” it said.
The White House could not confirm reports that North Korean troops were fighting for Russia, but a national security council spokesperson said that if true it would “mark a dangerous development in Russia’s war against Ukraine”.
Ukrainian officials on Monday released a video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues.
The video, published by the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security – part of the Ukrainian culture and information ministry – appears to show the soldiers waiting to pick
up bags, clothes and other items from Russian service personnel. “We received this video from our own sources,” Ihor Solovey, the head of the centre, told Associated Press, adding that he was unable to provide additional verification due to security concerns. “The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” he said. “For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells but also with personnel.”
The centre claimed the footage had been shot by a Russian soldier in recent days. It did not say how it had obtained the clip, and the location is unknown.
Asked about the North Korean troops during a conference call with reporters on Monday, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said: “We are seeing a lot of contradictory information. South Koreans say one thing, then the Pentagon says it has no confirmation of such statements. There is a lot of contradictory information. It must be treated as such.”
Putin and Kim have not disclosed details of their deal, agreed during the Russian president’s visit to Pyongyang in June. The countries have also denied that North Korea has provided Russia with ammunition and missiles.
Those denials have been challenged by Ukrainian, South Korean and US officials. On Friday, South Korean intelligence said North Korea had provided Russia with more than 13,000 containers of artillery shells, missiles, anti-tank rockets and other lethal weapons since August.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said North Korean involvement in the war would “significantly increase” the threat level and instability in the region.
Speaking during his nightly video address on Sunday, Zelenskyy said satellite and video evidence of North Korean troops proved that another country had effectively entered the war and demanded a robust response from Kyiv’s allies. “I am grateful to those leaders and representatives of states who do not close their eyes and speak frankly about this cooperation for the sake of a larger war,” he said. “We expect a normal, honest, strong reaction from our partners on this.” North Korea has not commented on reports it is sending troops to fight alongside Russia.