Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
South Korea urged North Korea to immediately withdraw its troops sent to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine, labeling the deployment a grave security threat to the international community, the presidential office said Tuesday.
The South warned that it may consider providing "offensive" weapons to Ukraine in response to the evolving military cooperation, marking a shift from its previous stance of offering only non-lethal aid. Regarding the types of arms, an official at the presidential office said the options could range from “weapons of defense” to “weapons of offense,” depending on how the situation develops.
Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo, a key foreign policy aide to President Yoon Suk Yeol, said an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting, chaired by National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik, took place earlier in the day.
"The South Korean government strongly condemns North Korea for deploying troops to Russia. In addition to supplying large quantities of military weapons to Russia in support of its illegal aggression against Ukraine, the North's troop dispatch constitutes a serious security threat not only to South Korea but to the international community. It blatantly violates United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit all military cooperation with North Korea," Kim said during a press briefing.
Kim emphasized that Seoul is closely coordinating with allies and the international community to ensure that strong and effective measures will be taken in response to military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
A captured image of video released by the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine (SPRAVDI) shows soldiers, presumed to be from North Korea, lining up to receive Russian supplies. Captured from SPRAVDI's X account
When asked to specify the countermeasures being considered by the South Korean government, a senior official at the presidential office said he would refrain from being too direct. He expressed caution, saying, "At this stage, only a portion of North Korean troops have arrived in Russia and are still in the process of preparation. Therefore, if the South Korean government discusses next steps prematurely, it could negatively impact the calculations and decisions of the other side."
The official said the government is considering diplomatic, economic, and military countermeasures.
"Depending on how the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia develops, we may consider providing Ukraine with 'defensive weapons' and potentially progressing to 'offensive weapons' later in the scenario."
He outlined several conditions under which the South Korean government would consider providing weapons. These conditions include: if North Korea receives advanced military technology from Russia in exchange for its military troops, which could enhance its nuclear missile capabilities; if the cooperation extends to modernizing North Korea's outdated conventional weapons, thereby posing a significant threat to South Korea's security; and if Russia assists North Korea in overcoming its repeated failures to launch a reconnaissance satellite successfully, thus improving its surveillance capabilities over South Korea.
Close cooperation with allies
The official emphasized that South Korea is closely collaborating with key allies, stating that the intelligence assessment confirming North Korea's troop deployment to Russia has been jointly gathered and shared with essential partners, including the United States.
In addition to the close cooperation, Yoon also pledged to swiftly send a delegation to NATO for information sharing, following his conversation with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte the day before.
"We anticipate that the delegation can be dispatched within a few days. Since this involves matters related to security and intelligence, a small team composed of officials from our intelligence agency and the Ministry of National Defense will visit NATO headquarters in Brussels to hold discussions with their government representatives and explore future cooperation measures," he explained.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, second from left, and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, right, participate in the South Korea-U.K. Strategic Dialogue at the Government Complex Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Meanwhile, the international community is united in condemning Pyongyang's troop deployment in support of Russia.
During the 9th South Korea-U.K. Strategic Dialogue held earlier in the week in Seoul, the foreign ministers of South Korea and the U.K. condemned North Korea's ongoing illegal transfers of weapons and troop deployment to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine "in the strongest terms," issuing a joint statement on the matter.
The two ministers stressed "the cooperation between North Korea and Russia not only violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions but also prolongs the suffering of the Ukrainian people, threatens global security, including that of South Korea and the U.K., and reflects the desperation of both North Korea and Russia."
The UNSC is also monitoring sanctions against North Korea, and if any violations are found, it will take appropriate action, stated Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during a regular briefing at U.N. headquarters in New York earlier this week.