South Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced it is closely monitoring military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The ministry reiterated its call for an immediate end to this cooperation, asserting that it violates United Nations Security Council resolutions.
According to a Yonhap news agency report, the ministry said in a statement, “We are closely monitoring developments related to the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.”
Zelensky claims Russia preparing to receive 30,000 more North Korean troops
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed in a statement on July 25 that Russia was preparing to receive 30,000 more troops from North Korea and that ballistic missile launchers would be transferred. South Korean government sources, however, said that no sign of additional troop shipments from North Korea had been detected so far.
Seoul’s estimates
South Korean officials assess that Pyongyang has so far sent about 20,000 troops and military engineers to support Moscow. According to Seoul’s estimates, approximately 14,000 of these personnel have been deployed to the front line.
North Korean foreign minister in Moscow
The visit by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui to Moscow on July 19-20 also heightened assessments that military cooperation between the two countries could strengthen further. During the visit, Choe met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.