South Korean Delegation to Brief NATO on North Korean Troops for Russia, Alliance Says

A man walks past a newspaper displayed on a street for the public in Seoul on October 21, 2024, with coverage on North Korea's decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to Ukraine's front lines and a photo (C) of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin toasting at a banquet in Pyongyang earlier this year. (AFP)

A high-level delegation from South Korea will brief the North Atlantic Council about North Korea's troop deployment to Russia on Monday, NATO said on Sunday, after the US expressed grave concern over the possible use of the troops against Ukraine.

"Ambassadors from NATO's Indo-Pacific partners – including Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea – have been invited to attend," the military alliance added. The North Atlantic Council is NATO's main decision-making body.

Ukrainian military intelligence said on Thursday that about 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, were already in Russia, and training was taking place on five military bases.

Speaking on the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny that North Korean troops were in Russia. But he said it was Moscow's business how to implement a treaty with Pyongyang that includes a mutual defense clause to aid each other against external aggression.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.