Photo : YONHAP News
President Yoon Suk Yeol chaired an emergency security meeting on Friday to address reports that North Korea has deployed troops to fight alongside Russia in its war with Ukraine.
The meeting involved key officials from the Office of National Security, the defense ministry and the National Intelligence Service.
The participants comprehensively reviewed the impact of North Korea’s participation in the Russia-Ukraine war on South Korea’s security.
They also shared information on the reported movement of North Korean soldiers to Russia and the reclusive state’s support for Russia’s war effort, concurring that the current situation poses a serious security threat not only to South Korea but to the international community.
The participants resolved to take action together with the international community.
The presidential office said the Yoon Suk Yeol government has closely tracked North Korea’s deployment efforts from the beginning, in collaboration with South Korea’s allies, adding that it will keep a close eye on the situation and actively devise necessary measures.
The meeting was held as the National Intelligence Service disclosed that North Korea has begun to move some 12-thousand troops to help in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that North Korea has sent tactical personnel and troops to Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by Russia and is preparing to send ten-thousand troops as well.