Photo : YONHAP News
President Yoon Suk Yeol and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held phone talks on Tuesday to discuss North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia to support the war against Ukraine.
According to the presidential office, Yoon told Zelenskyy that South Korea will not tolerate the illegal military collusion between North Korea and Russia, which he said poses a threat to South Korea’s security.
He added that Seoul will take effective response steps in phases by keeping a close eye on the situation.
Yoon said while the possible transfer of sensitive military technology from Russia to North Korea is a problem, he is concerned that the roughly one million-strong North Korean military will acquire battlefield experience through troops dispatched to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Explaining that the North has not taken part in a modern war since the Korean War, Yoon said the North’s experience in Ukraine could become a serious threat to South Korea’s security.
Zelenskyy, on his part, thanked Yoon for South Korea’s support to his country and for promising to send a government delegation to Kyiv.
The Ukrainian president said North Korean troops are about to enter the front lines against his country, assessing that with the move, the war is entering a new phase.
The top office said Yoon and Zelenskyy denounced the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia in the strongest terms and vowed to pursue strategic consultations to devise joint countermeasures.
To this end, Zelenskyy decided to send a special envoy to South Korea at an early date.