S. Korea's nuclear envoy says Russia-N. Korea ties evolving into 'full-scale collusion'

▲ Cho Koo-rae (C), South Korea's vice minister for strategy intelligence, poses with officials of the United States, Canada and Japan, at the Korean Peninsula Symposium in Ottawa, Canada, on Oct. 23, 2024, in this photo provided by Seoul's foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

nuclear envoy-N Korea

S. Korea's nuclear envoy says Russia-N. Korea ties evolving into 'full-scale collusion'

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's chief nuclear envoy has said the relations between Russia and North Korea are developing into a "full-scale, escalating collusion," calling for building "irreversible" cooperation networks among like-minded countries to respond to the threats.

Cho Koo-rae, vice minister for strategy and intelligence at the South Korean foreign ministry, who doubles as the top nuclear envoy, made the remarks in Canada on Wednesday (local time), following confirmations from South Korea and the United States that North Korea is sending troops to fight alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine.

Washington gave its first assessment the same day affirming that North Korea sent at least 3,000 troops to eastern Russia earlier this month, and they are likely to engage in combat after undergoing training.

The U.S. assessment is in line with that of South Korea's intelligence that about the same number of North Korean soldiers are believed to have been dispatched to Russia, with a total of 10,000 troops to be deployed by December.

"This relationship is evolving into a full-scale, escalating collusion, raising serious concerns for the global community," Cho said at a symposium in Canada.

"We must treat the deployment of the North Korean troops with utmost seriousness. ... We must prepare every possible measure to protect international peace and security," he said.

Cho was in Ottawa to attend a public-private forum co-hosted by Canada, the U.S. and Japan.

Cho called for building a strong cooperation network among like-minded countries to ensure a united response against North Korean threats and its "adventuristic gambles."

"We are witnessing ... a growing connection between Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security," Cho said. "These linkages highlight that the North Korean issue challenges the very foundations of the current international order."

"We must continue to build irreversible bilateral and multilateral cooperation networks to strengthen our collective response," he said.

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