North Korea issues statement on troops: 'In accordance with international law'
The North Korean administration stated that "if the reports regarding the deployment of troops to Russia are true," such an action would be in accordance with international law.
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According to a report by the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister for Russian Affairs, Kim Jong-gyu, addressed reports that his country had sent troops to Russia to fight against Ukraine, stating, "If there is such a thing as what the world media is talking about, I think it would be an act that conforms to the rules of international law."
Kim noted that there would be forces seeking to characterize North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia as illegal, emphasizing that he does not interfere in matters falling under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense, and avoided confirming the troop deployment.
Kim's statement was interpreted by South Korean media as a tacit admission of the troop deployment by the Pyongyang administration.
Pyongyang's remarks regarding the troop deployment came after Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to deny the reports, stating, "We have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously, but what we do and how we do it under Article 4 of this agreement is our business."
The South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) had claimed that approximately 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to Russia so far and that a total of 10,000 troops would be deployed to the country by December. It was alleged that the North Korean soldiers were dispatched to Russia to support its ongoing attacks on Ukraine.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR) had also claimed that North Korean military units had been brought to Russia's Kursk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had stated, "According to intelligence, Russia will deploy the first North Korean soldiers to combat zones on October 27-28. This is an obvious step by Russia to escalate the conflict, contrary to the disinformation circulating in Kazan these days."