The South Korean government announced it is closely monitoring the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The Foreign Ministry said the cooperation violates UN Security Council resolutions and must be immediately halted.
In a statement carried by Yonhap news agency, the ministry said, “We are closely monitoring the developments regarding military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.”
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's claims
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed in a statement on July 25 that Russia was preparing to receive an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea and that ballistic missile launchers would be transferred. However, South Korean government sources said there have been no signs so far of additional troop deployments from North Korea.
South Korea's estimates
South Korean officials assess that Pyongyang has so far sent approximately 20,000 troops and military engineers to support Moscow. According to Seoul's estimates, around 14,000 of these personnel have been deployed to the front line.
North Korean Foreign Minister's Moscow visit
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui's visit to Moscow on July 19-20 has fueled assessments that military cooperation between the two countries could further strengthen. During the visit, Choe met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.