South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said today that his country “will not stand idly by” in the face of the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, calling it a “challenge that threatens global security”.

“South Korea will not stand idly by on this,” Yun said after meeting with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, who is visiting South Korea.

Condemning this action by Pyongyang, the two leaders agreed that “North Korea’s sending of troops to Russia” for its war in Ukraine “constitutes a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter, and is a provocation that threatens global security beyond the Korean Peninsula and Europe,” Yoon noted.

Yesterday, Wednesday, Washington confirmed South Korea’s information about the deployment of 3,000 North Korean soldiers in eastern Russia “between early and mid-October”.

“We estimate that these soldiers traveled by ship from the Wonsan region of North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia, and that they went to several Russian military training facilities in eastern Russia, where they are currently training,” White House spokesman John Kirby.

The US does not know whether it will fight alongside the Russian military, he also noted, calling it a “very worrying possibility”.

For its part, North Korea has denied that it is providing forces to Russia for its war in Ukraine, while Pyongyang’s representative at the UN said that these are “baseless rumours”.

After more than two and a half years of war, Ukraine is in a critical military situation, with its forces retreating for months on the eastern front and Russia continuing to pound its cities for lack of air defense systems in sufficient quantity.

China is not aware

China’s foreign ministry said today that Beijing is not aware of the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia.

During the daily press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jin responded to a related question by saying that “the Chinese side is not aware of the situation.”

“China’s position on the Ukrainian crisis is consistent and clear, and we hope all sides will promote a de-escalation of the situation and commit to a political solution,” he added.

Yun-Duda Summit

Yun and Duda also agreed to advance the finalization of a new contract to export South Korean K-2 tanks to Poland by the end of the year, the South Korean president also said at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart.

The South Korean and Polish governments will actively support the conclusion of an agreement before the end of the year for South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem to supply K-2 tanks to Poland, Yun continued.

South Korea and Poland will also establish a new defense dialogue forum and cooperate closely on security issues concerning the two countries, he noted.

South Korea, emerging as a major arms exporter, signed a $22 billion framework deal in 2022 to export self-propelled howitzers, tanks and fighter jets as Poland ramps up military spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.