Andrzej Duda’s visit to South Korea focused on defence cooperation as North Korea sent troops to Russia.
ADVERTISEMENTSouth Korea “won’t sit idle” after North Korea allegedly sent troops to support Russia’s war on Ukraine, South Korean leader pledged after meeting Poland’s president to discuss expanding defence cooperation.
The meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda came a day after US and South Korean officials said they believe around 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations.
During their summit, Yoon and Duda agreed to “actively support” additional deliveries of South Korean military equipment to Poland, including a new deal for Korean K-2 tanks the governments hope to finalise within this year, Yoon’s office said.
Poland has signed a series of arms deals with South Korea in the last two years to acquire tanks, howitzers and missile launchers in an effort to bolster its military capabilities following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
‘A provocation that threatens global security’
Meanwhile, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers that North Korea likely aims to send a total of 10,000 troops to Russia by the end of the year.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the presence of North Korean troops.
“We agreed that North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia, which is in direct violation of the UN charter and UN Security Council resolutions, is a provocation that threatens global security,” Yoon said after the summit.
Yoon said South Korea will work with allies and partners to prepare countermeasures that could be rolled out in stages depending on the degree of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Yoon’s office said earlier this week that South Korea is considering various diplomatic, economic and military options, including supplying Ukraine with both defensive and offensive weapons systems.
South Korea, a growing arms exporter, has provided humanitarian aid and other non-lethal support to Ukraine and supported economic sanctions against Moscow. But Seoul hasn’t directly provided Ukraine with arms, citing a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflict.