A high-level delegation from South Korea will visit NATO headquarters in Brussels next Monday to report on the deployment of North Korean soldiers in Russia. This information was confirmed by Alliance sources on Friday.
The ambassadors of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific, have been invited to participate in the meeting. Consultations are ongoing within NATO regarding the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, and contacts with Seoul are continuing.
NATO has already mentioned that allies have verified the dispatch of North Korean soldiers to Russia. There is concern that these military personnel are being deployed to fight in Ukraine, which would be a significant escalation in Pyongyang's support for the Russo-Ukrainian war and would reflect Russia's significant losses on the fronts.
Ukraine has warned about the imminent deployment of North Korean soldiers alongside Russian forces at the front. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has asserted his right to resort to military personnel from an allied country, while Pyongyang claims that this is in accordance with international law.
According to South Korean intelligence, it is estimated that Pyongyang has already sent 3,000 soldiers to Russia, although it is believed that they could mobilize up to 12,000 troops. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has also confirmed the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia to join the conflict in Ukraine.
