SEOUL, October 31 ------ South Korea is considering sending a team of military monitors to Ukraine to observe and analyze the expected deployment of North Korean troops by Russia on the frontlines of the conflict there, a presidential official said. At least 11,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and more than 3,000 of them have been moved close to frontlines, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Pyongyang would learn valuable lessons from its troops engaging in combat and witnessing modern warfare by helping Russia, and that constituted a direct military threat to South Korea, the official said, adding: "So it is incumbent upon us to analyze and monitor the activities of North Korean troops against our ally, Ukraine." Ukraine's allies have widely condemned the deployment.
On Tuesday, Washington said some North Korean soldiers were in the Kursk region, a Russian border area where Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion in August and hold hundreds of square kilometers of territory. Russia is putting pressure on Ukrainian forces along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front line inside Ukraine after failing to topple the government with its all-out invasion of 2022. Total military casualties are estimated in the hundreds of thousands.
DEPLOYMENT HAS BEEN FASTER THAN EXPECTED, SOUTH KOREA SAYS
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the pace of North Korean troop deployment to Russia had been faster than expected, creating a dangerous situation, his office reported, relaying remarks during a phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau said the deployment of North Korean troops in the will likely escalate the conflict and create a greater impact on the security environment of Europe and the Indo-Pacific, according to Yoon's office. South Korean officials have also expressed worry about what Russia may be providing to Pyongyang in return.
Source: reuters.com
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