North Korean soldiers march during a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, July 27, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. The parade was held to mark the 70th anniversary of what the regime calls "Victory Day," commemorating the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. Yonhap
South Korean officials are set to meet with their NATO and U.S. counterparts later this week to discuss coordinated responses to North Korea's deployment of troops in support of Russia's war in Ukraine, according to government officials, Sunday.
A delegation comprising officials from the Ministry of National Defense and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) plans to travel to NATO headquarters in Brussels early this week.
Led by NIS First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, the delegation will brief representatives from all 32 NATO member countries on the latest intelligence regarding North Korean troops in Russia. A follow-up briefing is also scheduled with the European Union's political and security committee.
In addition to these NATO consultations, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun is expected to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington, D.C., Wednesday (local time), for the annual bilateral Security Consultative Meeting, at which they are likely to discuss joint responses to North Korea's troop deployment.
The meeting comes about a week after the White House said it found evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for potential deployment in Ukraine, aligning with earlier assessments from South Korea's intelligence agency.
Several foreign media outlets reported that the troops have arrived in Russia's western Kursk region, in what could be a sign that they may soon be deployed to various battlefields.
As South Korea and NATO strengthen their partnership in response to the North Korean troop deployment, some observers believe that discussions on providing lethal weapons may arise during the upcoming meetings.
The U.S.-led military alliance has been requesting Seoul expand its military support for Ukraine, seeing that South Korean weapons — produced by one of the world's major defense exporters — could be a game changer in the ongoing conflict.
In a September interview with The Korea Times, Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of NATO's Military Committee, said while the decision to provide lethal weapons rests solely with South Korea, he noted that “South Korea knows what Ukraine needs."
Ukrainian rescuers clear debris on the site of a Russian missile strike in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine, Saturday (local time). AFP-Yonhap
In response to potential North Korean troop involvement in the Russian invasion, South Korea's presidential office announced that it might consider supplying lethal arms to Ukraine, which would mark a shift from its current policy of offering only humanitarian, non-lethal aid.
Ukraine, facing an urgent need for air defense systems to counter Russia's ballistic missiles, has reportedly shown interest in South Korea's Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile system.
There is also a possibility that NATO and Ukraine may request South Korea to send personnel to assist with interpreting and interrogating captured North Korean soldiers.
According to Ukrainian media reports, Ukrainian forces have begun broadcasting messages in Korean urging North Korean soldiers to surrender. However, language errors in the broadcast suggest Kyiv may need translation support to communicate effectively with potential North Korean defectors.
Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, advised caution regarding military support for Ukraine.
“The provision of weapons is an issue that could have far-reaching consequences beyond inter-Korean relations. If these weapons are provided, given the nature of this war, they could be used to cause mass casualties and deaths of Russian soldiers. This could strain South Korea-Russia relations to a point that may be difficult to repair,” Yang said.
Plus, public support for South Korea's deeper involvement in the Ukraine conflict is low, the expert noted, reflecting concerns that such engagement could turn the conflict into a proxy war between the two Koreas.
A Gallup Korea survey released on Friday, which polled 1,001 adults, revealed that 66 percent of respondents believe South Korea should restrict its assistance to Ukraine to non-military support. Meanwhile, 16 percent expressed that Seoul should not provide any aid at all.
Only 13 percent supported sending lethal military aid.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un toast during a reception in Pyongyang, June 19. AFP-Yonhap
Meanwhile, both North Korea and Russia have continued sidestepping questions about the deployment of troops, signaling a shift from their earlier denials dismissing the reports as "groundless rumors."
“If such a situation exists, as reported by global media, I believe it would align with international law,” Kim Jong-gyu, North Korea's vice foreign minister on Russia affairs, said in a statement published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Friday, referencing reports of North Korean troops in Russia.
Kim's comments follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks at the 2024 BRICS Summit the previous day, where he similarly refrained from confirming or denying the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
“What we do within the framework of this agreement is our business,” Putin said, referring to a military treaty signed with Pyongyang in June under which each country promised to assist the other in the event of an armed invasion.
"We have never doubted in the least that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously," Putin added.