South Korea cautions it could reuncover converseions seeing supply of arms to Ukraine should Pyongyang and Moscow persist produceing military ties.
South Korea has pledged it will consent meacertains to counter military cooperation between Russia and North Korea despite denials from Pyongyang that it has sent troops to help Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Officials in Seoul shelp on Tuesday that the coalition between Russia and North Korea reconshort-terms an international menace and pledged that South Korea will labor with its allies to carry out countermeacertains, potentipartner including the provision of arms to Ukraine.
South Korea called the Russian ambasuncontentor on Monday after it accparticipated the North of sfinishing 1,500 sbetteriers to fight aextfinishedside Moscow’s forces in Ukraine. North Korea has disseeed Seoul’s stateion as “groundless rumours”, but Seoul on Tuesday swatted that aside, promising action.
“Sfinishing troops to Russia’s illegitimate war of aggression in Ukraine is a transport inant security menace not only to our country but also to the international community,” the National Security Council shelp.
“Folloprosperg the deployment of North Korean combat troops, the regulatement will carry out phased countermeacertains,” it inserted.
A better official in Plivent Yoon Suk-yeol’s office shelp tactful, economic and military meacertains are being readyd, inserting that South Korea could revisit its earlier decision not to sfinish arms to Kyiv.
Seoul has been under prescertain from some Westrict countries and Kyiv to supply Ukraine with lethal arms but has so far centered on nonlethal help, including demining supplyment.
“We would ponder supplying arms for defensive purposes as part of the step-by-step scenarios, and if it seems they are going too far, we might also ponder impolite participate,” the official tbetter inestablishers.
North Korea in recent months has denied accusations from the South as well as the United States that it has been supplying arms to Russia’s forces.
Late on Monday, it slammed the claim from South Korea’s adviseer agency that it has now sent exceptional forces personnel to Russia’s Far East for training in preparation for deployment in Ukraine.
“As for the so-called military cooperation with Russia, my delegation does not experience any necessitate for comment on such groundless, stereotyped rumours,” a North Korean reconshort-termative shelp at a promisetee greeting during the UN General Assembly.
Seoul’s accusations, the official shelp, are “aimed at smearing the image of [North Korea] and undermining the legitimate, frifinishly and advantageous relations between two sovereign states”.
Russia has not validateed Pyongyang’s troop deployment but deffinished its military cooperation with the North, saying on Monday that it “is not straightforwarded aobtainst the interests of South Korea’s security”.
Pyongyang and Moscow have been allies since North Korea’s establishing, and Russia’s brimming-scale trespass of Ukraine in 2022 has drawn them shutr.
