Von der Leyen and South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol discuss Russia’s involvement in war against Ukraine
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the Republic of Korea Yun Seok-yeol discussed North Korea's military assistance to Russia in its war against Ukraine.
According to Censor.NET, citing Interfax-Ukraine, the press service of the European Commission reported that the discussion took place over the phone.
It is noted that von der Leyen stated that North Korea is increasingly providing Russia with deadly assistance.
"This is a significant escalation of the war against Ukraine and threatens global peace," she emphasized.
In this regard, von der Leyen assured President Yoon that "the EU's response to these developments will focus on cooperation with the Republic of Korea and other like-minded partners."
"President von der Leyen also expressed the EU's concern over the deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, which could push Pyongyang to further escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Finally, President von der Leyen is looking forward to meeting President Yun in Brussels on the occasion of the next EU-Korea summit, the date of which has not yet been determined," the statement said.
It is also reported that the presidents discussed the progress made in the framework of the security and defense partnership announced at the EU-Korea summit in May 2023 in Seoul.
As reported earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed Russia's involvement of North Korean soldiers in the war against Ukraine.
Participation of the DPRK military in Russia's war against Ukraine
On October 17, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was training ten thousand North Korean soldiers for the war in Ukraine, including infantry.
Earlier, the Washington Post wrote that several thousand soldiers from the DPRK are being trained in Russia and may be sent to the front in Ukraine.
In early October, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said that the DPRK could send its military to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to support Russia's war against our country.
The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko, said that the information about Russia's alleged preparation of DPRK soldiers to be sent to the front in Ukraine was not true.
On October 15, the media reported that on the basis of the 11th separate airborne assault brigade of the Russian occupation army, the Russians began to form a so-called "special Buryat battalion". It will be staffed by North Korean citizens.
Subsequently, the head of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, said that almost 11,000 soldiers from North Korea are currently being trained in eastern Russia to fight against Ukraine. They will be ready for combat as early as November 1.
At the same time, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that the United States has not yet confirmed that North Korea is sending troops to Russia.
South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul because of the DPRK's participation in the war against Ukraine.
It was reported that eighteen North Korean soldiers had already escaped from the Russian army positions on the border of Ukraine with Bryansk and Kursk regions. It later became known that they had been detained.
South Korea's permanent representative to the UN Security Council, Jonkuk Hwang, said that Russia could pay for the participation of North Korean military in the war against Ukraine with nuclear weapons technology.
And The Guardian wrote that Russia could send North Korean troops to capture Pokrovsk in Donetsk region or to winter assaults on other important areas on Ukraine's eastern front.
Later, the Pentagon confirmed that DPRK troops had arrived in Russia.
On October 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that, according to intelligence, the first North Korean military would be used by Russia in combat zones on October 27-28.
