Russian cooperation with North Korea meets condemnation

Already on Friday, South Korea's NIS (National Intelligence Service) accused the North Korean army of supporting Russia with the sending of around 1,500 soldiers in the war against Ukraine. In total, North Korea is said to send around 12,000 soldiers, including special forces, to Russia. Their identity is supposed to be protected by Russian uniforms and false identities to conceal their true origin. There is no official confirmation from NATO yet, but the intelligence agency relies on satellite images and facial recognition software, which they used together with the Ukrainian intelligence service. In response to the dispatch of North Korean soldiers to Russia, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian Ambassador Georgi Sinoview in Seoul. According to reports from the Yonhap news agency, Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun strongly condemned the dispatch of North Korean soldiers and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the soldiers. The dispatch of North Korean troops is a clear security threat to South Korea and the international community. Sinoview did not comment on this. However, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also warns. He warns on the short message service X of an escalation of the conflict if North Korea sends its soldiers to Ukraine to fight on Russia's side.