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| ▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during his phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the presidential office in Seoul on Oct. 28, 2024, in this photo provided by his office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Yoon-NK troop deployment
(LEAD) N. Korea's troop deployment in Russia-Ukraine war could happen 'sooner than expected,' Yoon says
(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks, details in paras 8-11)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday that North Korea's troop deployment in Russia's war with Ukraine could take place "sooner than expected," calling the latest development "serious."
Yoon shared information on North Korea's troop movement during his phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said North Korean troops could join the battlefield against Ukraine "in a matter of days."
"This unlawful military cooperation between Russia and North Korea fundamentally undermines the rules-based international order and poses a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and globally," Yoon said.
Yoon called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and the cessation of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, vowing to explore "practical response measures" with the European Union and its member countries.
"We will take phased measures depending on the developments in Russia-North Korea military cooperation," he said.
Last week, Yoon said Seoul could consider providing arms to Kyiv, in a possible shift from its policy of only sending humanitarian aid.
South Korea and the United States have said North Korea sent around 3,000 troops to eastern Russia, with Seoul's spy agency expecting about 10,000 soldiers to be deployed by December.
During the call, Von der Leyen expressed "serious concerns" over North Korea's troop deployment, which she noted blatantly violates international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to Yoon's office.
The EU chief said the latest development is a "grave" issue that further escalates the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and highlighted the EU's readiness to cooperate actively with South Korea to address rising security threats, the office said.
She also expressed thanks for Seoul's sending of a high-level delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the EU to share detailed information about North Korea's troop deployment to Russia, it noted.
On Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte received a briefing from the delegation and confirmed North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's Kursk region, a front-line area in its conflict with Ukraine.
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