South Korea has officially complained to Russia about North Korean troops being sent to help in the war in Ukraine, as reported by Reuters.
On Monday, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in Seoul to protest, saying that North Korea’s military involvement is against U.N. rules.
Reuters mentioned that South Korea’s vice foreign minister, Kim Hong-kyun, told Russian ambassador Georgy Zinoviev that these North Korean soldiers must be removed from Russia immediately.
According to Reuters, Russia has not confirmed if North Korean troops are being sent to Ukraine, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said their cooperation with North Korea isn’t a threat to other countries.
However, South Korean officials believe that North Korea has sent 1,500 special forces soldiers to Russia for training and possible combat use in Ukraine.
This move, Reuters added, has raised major concerns in South Korea and beyond, as it could make the war more dangerous.
The South Korean government views this situation as a serious security threat, Reuters explained, and plans to work with other countries to stop this illegal military cooperation.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, also believes that North Korea may send even more soldiers to support Russia. If this happens, it could make the conflict much worse, NATO warned, as noted by Reuters.
Both Russia and North Korea have denied sending weapons or troops to each other, but they agreed to strengthen their military ties earlier this year.
Reuters also shared that some countries, including China, are calling for efforts to calm down the situation to prevent further escalation.
Credit : Reuters