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| ▲ In this file photo, a news report on North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia plays on a television in a waiting area at Seoul Station in the capital on Oct. 20, 2024. (Yonhap) |
NK troops-Russia
S. Korea to take 'effective, phased' measures as N. Korean troops enter combat in Russia's Kursk
SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's government said Thursday "effective and phased" measures will be taken over North Korea's dispatch of troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine, after the nation's spy agency confirmed that the North's soldiers have entered combat in Russia's Kursk.
"(The government) will proceed to implement effective, phased measures grounded in principles of composure and discipline," a unification ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity regarding North Korea's troop dispatch.
The previous day, the National Intelligence Service confirmed that North Korean troops sent to Russia have already engaged in front-line combat operations in the Kursk region, consistent with intelligence from the United States.
The official accused the North of dispatching troops to fight in an "unjustifiable" war and sending them to their death, adding that the regime has avoided informing its public about the deployment.
"It's another example of the North Korean regime's deceptive nature," the official noted.
Despite confirmations from the U.S. and South Korea about North Korean troops fighting for Russia on the front line, the North has remained silent on the matter amid speculation that it might make an official announcement after exchanging ratification instruments with Russia for their mutual defense treaty.
Earlier this week, North Korea's state media reported that leader Kim Jong-un ratified the comprehensive strategic partnership he signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in June.
The landmark pact, which commits the two nations to providing military aid to each other in the event of war, has elevated their military relations to a new level, regarded as similar to an alliance.
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