The South Korean government stated that it is closely monitoring trends in military cooperation between North Korea and Russia regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's claim that Russia has requested additional troop deployments from North Korea.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said today (July 27), "The government is closely monitoring trends related to North Korea-Russia military cooperation," while adding, "We cannot confirm intelligence-related matters."

The official emphasized, "The government maintains the firm stance that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which violates UN Security Council resolutions, must cease immediately."

According to government sources, no specific trends regarding an additional North Korean troop dispatch have been detected yet.

On the 25th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter), President Zelenskyy claimed that Russia wants an additional deployment of 30,000 troops from North Korea, and preparations for their accommodation have been underway in the southwestern Russian region of Voronezh since last month.

He also stated that North Korea is preparing to deploy additional ballistic missile launchers to Russia, and that Russia is supporting North Korea in enhancing its war-fighting capabilities and upgrading its weapons.

Previously, North Korea and Russia signed a treaty of alliance during a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. Based on this, North Korea began sending troops to Russia in October of that year.

North Korea is estimated to have sent about 20,000 personnel, including combat troops and engineers, to the Kursk region across four occasions. US-based North Korea-focused media outlet NK News previously reported, citing a Ukrainian intelligence report, that around 14,000 troops remained stationed there as of early this year.
 
(Photo: Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap News)