North Korean troops in Russia: Ukraine and South Korea to step up intelligence sharing
During a telephone conversation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol have agreed to mobilise contacts at every level between their two countries and to step up intelligence sharing in light of Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine.
Source: President Zelenskyy on Telegram
Quote from Zelenskyy: "We have discussed the deployment of North Korean troops in the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. There’s only one conclusion: this war is becoming more international and spilling beyond the borders of the two states.
I shared new information about 3,000 North Korean troops being transferred to Russian military training grounds in the immediate vicinity of the war zone, and the expected increase in their number to around 12,000.
We have agreed to step up intelligence and expertise sharing, to mobilise contacts at every level, including the highest, in order to devise a strategy and measures designed to counter the escalation, and to get our joint partners involved. As part of this agreement, Ukraine and the Republic of Korea will exchange delegations that will coordinate [joint] actions in the near future."
Details: Zelenskyy also thanked the South Korean president for his steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the financial and humanitarian aid Ukraine has received or is set to receive from his country.
Previously: On 28 October, Ukraine’s National Resistance Center reported, citing local sources, that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers had begun training exercises in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Background:
- On 8 October, the South Korean Ministry of Defence said that North Korea was likely to send some of its regular armed forces to Ukraine in support of Russia.
- On 13 October, Zelenskyy said that North Korea was supplying Russia not only with weapons but also with personnel, and called on partners to increase their support for Ukraine. On 17 October, Zelenskyy stressed that Russia intended to involve about 10,000 soldiers from North Korea in the war against Ukraine.
- On 18 October, Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, confirmed that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were currently undergoing training in Russia’s east. They will be ready to take part in combat actions against Ukraine as early as 1 November.
- The first North Korean military units that have undergone training at training grounds in eastern Russia have arrived in the war zone. They were spotted in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces are conducting an operation, on 23 October.
- On 28 October, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also confirmed that North Korean troops are already active in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
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