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UKRANIAN leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reached out to South Korea amid fears over the growing presence of North Korean troops in his country.
In a social media post, Zelenskyy says he talked to South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol and thanked him for aid provided and pledged.
“We discussed the involvement of North Korean military forces in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he wrote.
“The conclusion is clear — this war is becoming internationalized, extending beyond two countries.”
EARLIER: NATO confirms North Korean presence
He says 3000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russian training grounds near the combat zone and their numbers are expected to grow to about 12,000.
“We agreed to strengthen intelligence and expertise exchange, intensify contacts at all levels, especially the highest, in order to develop an action strategy and countermeasures to address this escalation …” the Ukrainian leader says.
Zelenskyy also wrote that Ukraine and South Korea will soon exchange delegation to co-ordinate actions.
Meanwhile, Russian media reports say North Korea’s foreign minister recently arrived in eastern Russia and will travel to Moscow for her second visit in six weeks.
The Kremlin reportedly said that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not plan to meet with her.
PENTAGON
Pentagon spokesman USAF Major-General Pat Ryders says that around 10,000 North Korean troops are at military posts in Russia’s eastern region, and could be deployed to Kursk in coming weeks.
“Initial indications are that these troops will be employed in some type of infantry role,” he says.
“We remain concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Kursk.”
He also questioned Russian military capability in light of the Korean deployment.
“The fact that they now need to outsource for foreign troops to help support their forces inside Russia indicates that there’s some serious questions in terms of their ability to continue to sustain their personnel requirements,” he says.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III visited Kyiv last week to reaffirm US support for Ukraine.
