Photo : KBS News
Anchor: Speaking to reporters during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not dispute the authenticity of satellite images allegedly showing North Korean soldiers in Russian territory. The remarks came as the first batch of North Korean soldiers was reportedly spotted in a key battleground.
Kim Bum-soo reports.
Report:
[Sound bite: President Vladimir Putin’s news conference after the 16th BRICS Summit]
Reporter: “Mr. President, satellite images are said to show North Korean troops are here, in Russia… ”
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny that North Korean troops are in his country.
During a news conference following the BRICS summit Thursday, he was asked about recent satellite images allegedly showing North Korean troops deployed in Russia.
[Sound bite: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Russian-English)]
“Images are a serious matter. If images exist, they indicate something. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it was not Russia’s actions that precipitated the escalation in Ukraine, but rather the 2014 coup d’etat …”
While addressing the controversial troop deployment for the first time, Putin added that what Moscow and Pyongyang decide to do within the framework of their new comprehensive strategic partnership is their business.
[Sound bite: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Russian-English)]
“ … you may be aware that the Treaty on Strategic Partnership was ratified, I believe, just today. It has Article 4, and we have never doubted the fact that the DPRK leadership takes our agreements seriously. However, it is up to us to decide what we will do and how we are going to do it … ”
A North Korean representative to the United Nations in New York said Thursday that claims by South Korea and the U.S. about North Korean troops being deployed to Russia are “groundless rumors.”
The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said the same day that the first batch of North Korean soldiers was spotted Wednesday in Russia’s Kursk region.
The area has emerged as an important battlefield in Russia’s war against Ukraine since Ukrainian troops advanced across the border in August.
The South Korean National Intelligence Service believes the North’s XI Army Corps, an elite special forces unit also known as the “Storm Corps,” has been dispatched to Russia.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.