N. Korea’s Foreign Ministry on troop deployment to Russia: if true, it aligns with international law
The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has, for the first time, addressed reports of North Korean troop deployment to Russia, stating it has no information on the matter but adding that if true, it would align with international law.
This statement comes from Kim Jong Gyu, North Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister for Russian Affairs, and was published by North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, as reported by Ukrinform.
“I heeded the rumor of the dispatch of KPA troops to Russia, which the world media is building up public opinion,” Kim stated.
He did not confirm any troop deployment to Russia, noting that foreign ministry does not engage in the matters of the Ministry of National Defense.
“If there is such a thing that the world media is talking about, I think it will be an act conforming with the regulations of international law,” the North Korean diplomat saidl.
This is Pyongyang’s first official comment on reports about North Korean troops being sent to Russia. Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin refrained from denying such information, saying it was a matter between Russia and North Korea.
NATO, meanwhile, is reportedly considering two possible responses to North Korean troop involvement in Russia, according to Bloomberg.
As Ukrinform previously reported, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence stated that the first North Korean military units trained at Russia’s eastern training grounds have already arrived in the combat zone of the Russia-Ukraine war.