[Anchor]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently claimed that North Korea could send up to 50,000 troops to Russia. In response, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has dismissed the claim as groundless.

Reporter Kim Ayeong has the details.

[Reporter]

In a recent interview with local media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the possibility of an additional troop dispatch, stating that North Korea could send up to 50,000 personnel to Russia.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / President of Ukraine: At first it was hundreds, thousands, but now a decision has been made that 30,000 to 50,000 North Korean military personnel will be stationed on Russian territory.]

Ukraine has also continued to claim that North Korean missiles are actually being deployed in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued a response late on the night of the 19th.

Through a statement addressing major international issues, Kim Yo-jong dismissed the rumors of additional troop deployment concocted and spread by the Zelenskyy clique as completely groundless, calling it a fabrication by Kyiv.

Given that large-scale casualties have already occurred, deploying around 50,000 troops would inevitably be a heavy burden even for North Korea, and her remarks are interpreted as a denial that any such move is currently under review.

However, she also added the following remarks.

Recalling the 2024 North Korea-Russia treaty, which includes a mutual military intervention clause, she added that they never lose focus on their allied obligations and will bear unlimited responsibility.

This can be seen as leaving the door open for the possibility of additional troop dispatches in the future, although Kim Yo-jong did not make any separate mention regarding the deployment of North Korean missiles.

Regardless of whether additional troops are sent, the honeymoon period between North Korea and Russia appears to be continuing.

The two countries are expected to hold an event soon to open a dedicated automobile bridge across the Tumen River connecting their border regions.

The construction of the Tumen River automobile bridge is an agreement stemming from the North Korea-Russia summit, with construction having started in late April of last year.

Until now, overland connectivity has been maintained solely through a railway bridge.

It is assessed that the opening of the new bridge will lay the foundation for expanding logistics and human exchanges.

(Video Editing: Jung Sunghoon, Footage courtesy of: TSN)