South Korea mulls sending inspectors to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops in Russia

By Park Ung Posted : October 22, 2024, 14:45 Updated : October 22, 2024, 15:48
A TV screen shows images of North Korean soldiers during a news program at a railway station in Seoul on Oct. 18, 2024. AP-Yonhap
SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) - South Korea is considering sending a team of inspectors to Ukraine to monitor North Korea's alleged troop deployment to Russia, a government source here said Tuesday.

"The monitoring team is expected to include soldiers and military officials capable of analyzing the tactics and combat capabilities of North Korean special forces allegedly deployed to Russia," the source said. "There is also a possibility that personnel adept at interrogating captured or escaped North Korean soldiers will be included in the team."

Last week, South Korea's spy agency said that North Korea had decided to deploy around 12,000 troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine, with about 1,500 special forces soldiers already sent to the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok for training.

Observers believe that monitoring North Korean military tactics and combat strategies would help in formulating defense plans for South Korea.

There has also been speculation that South Korea may shift toward providing direct support to Ukraine including lethal weapons. The country has modestly supplied some military uniforms and other equipment along with humanitarian aid.

South Korea is also seeking assistance from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). During a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte the previous day, Yoon expressed interest in joining BICES, the European military alliance's secure network for sharing security data and other classified information.

Rutte suggested that South Korea send a delegation to NATO headquarters to discuss further details regarding the latest developments in the military alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow.

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