South Korea plans countermeasures against North Korea's actions in Ukraine
- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has indicated that his government is preparing to respond to North Korea's growing military involvement in Ukraine.
- Recent intelligence suggests North Korea has deployed approximately 3,000 soldiers to Russia for military training and potential combat in Ukraine.
- The South Korean government views this military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as a serious security threat and has called for increased vigilance and countermeasures.
On October 29, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol held discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding North Korea’s military involvement in Ukraine. Following their conversation, Yoon expressed concerns over the evidence indicating a growing number of North Korean troops operating in Russia, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Military intelligence revealed that approximately 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed for training and potential combat roles alongside Russian forces. President Yoon has been vocal about the implications of this military cooperation, labeling it as a significant threat to both the Korean Peninsula's peace and European security. He has previously warned about North Korea’s increasingly close diplomatic ties with Russia, suggesting that the North Korean regime poses not just a regional danger but a global one. The ideological shift of North Korea under Kim Jong-un, particularly its distancing from China while strengthening ties with Russia, has raised alarms in Seoul and beyond. The South Korean National Intelligence Service has reported that this could lead to North Korean special forces becoming more integrated into the conflict in Ukraine, which raises concerns about the potential internationalization of the war. In response to these developments, Yoon's administration is focused on risk management strategies to ensure that South Korea's economy remains stable while preparing necessary countermeasures against North Korean activities in the region.