Zelenskyy warned that North Korea’s involvement in the Ukraine war could prolong the conflict and impact other countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday called for a “strong reaction” from allied partners after what he said was “clear evidence” that North Korea is supplying troops to Russia to be deployed in the ongoing war against his country.
In a video address on Oct. 20, Zelenskyy said satellite and video evidence showed that North Korea had not only supplied weapons to Russia but also dispatched military personnel to the country.
“We expect a normal, honest, strong reaction from our partners to this. In fact, this is another state joining the war against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian leader said, according to his office.
Zelenskyy warned that North Korea’s involvement in the Russia–Ukraine war, which has been ongoing since February 2022, will not benefit any other countries than Russia.
North Korean troops could be deployed to the front lines to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukrainian soldiers if international partners remain silent, which would further prolong the conflict, he said.
“Unfortunately, the instability and threats could grow significantly once North Korea starts learning the peculiarities of modern warfare,” he said. “We must counter this. We cannot let evil grow.”
Footage shared by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security (Stratcom) on Oct. 19 showed what Stratcom alleged were North Korean troops lining up at a Russian military training center to receive equipment in preparation for deployment to Ukraine.
The center said it obtained the video from Russia’s Sergievsky Training Ground, without elaborating further. The Epoch Times could not independently verify where the footage was taken and if the troops in the video are from North Korea.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said on Oct. 18 it has evidence indicating that North Korea is preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to Russia, with about 1,500 soldiers already dispatched in the first phase.On Monday, South Korea’s Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun summoned the Russian ambassador Georgy Zinoviev to protest the apparently deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. He demanded the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops from Russia, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Kim said the military ties between Russia and North Korea, which appeared to have extended beyond military supply and led to the dispatch of North Korean troops, pose a “grave security threat” to the international community and violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.
He urged Russia to cease military cooperation with North Korea and warned that his country would respond by “mobilizing all available means against acts that threaten our core security interests.”
Both NATO and the Pentagon said they could not confirm reports that North Korea had sent troops to Russia for active involvement in the Ukraine war.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated on X on Monday that he had spoken with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and that North Korean troop deployment to Ukraine in support of Russian forces could lead to “a significant escalation.”
Rutte said he had discussed partnership with the South Korean president, including “defense industrial cooperation, and the interconnected security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.”
A statement by Yoon’s office after the conversation said that South Korea would send a delegation to NATO to share more information on the reports.
Meanwhile, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said there has been “contradictory information” from the United States and South Korea regarding the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia.
“This should not cause any concerns for anyone, because this cooperation is not directed against third countries. We will continue to develop this cooperation,” he told reporters on Monday, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
In June, North Korea and Russia signed a “strategic partnership” pact allowing each party to provide military assistance if the other is attacked. In a joint statement, the United States, South Korea, and Japan expressed “grave concern” about the pact.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.