South Korea has expressed “grave concern” over Russia’s bid to seal a defence pact with North Korea, which has been accused of supplying troops to Moscow for possible deployment in its war in Ukraine.

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday, October 25, 2024, that Seoul “strongly urges the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and the cessation of illegal cooperation.”

Russia’s lower house of parliament on Thursday, October 24, 2024, voted unanimously to endorse the comprehensive partnership treaty between Russia and North Korea, signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June.

The country’s upper house is expected to follow suit soon.

According to the document, in the event of armed aggression against either side, Russia and North Korea must immediately activate bilateral channels “to coordinate their positions and potential practical means for providing assistance.”

Provision 4 specifies that if one of the countries is under armed attack, the other must provide military and other aid “by all available means.”

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko stated that Russia expects the treaty to be ratified in North Korea soon as well.

Putin told reporters it was “our business” how Moscow implemented the mutual defence clause.

The South Korean Ministry added in the statement that the government will work together with the international community to firmly respond to military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and take appropriate measures as their military collaboration progresses.

Seoul’s denunciation comes a day after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia as a “provocation that threatens global security” and raised the possibility of supplying Ukraine with weapons.

Yoon told a joint news conference after talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda, that if North Korea dispatches special forces to Ukraine war as part of Russia-North Korea cooperation, “we will support Ukraine in stages and also review and implement measures necessary for security on the Korean Peninsula.”

“While we have maintained our principle of not directly supplying lethal weapons, we can also review our stance more flexibly, depending on the level of North Korean military activities.”
Yoon Suk Yeol

Ukraine’s military intelligence service said on Thursday that North Koreans trained in Russia had already been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine and has been the site of major fighting.

United States and South Korean officials said on Wednesday that they were aware of the presence of 3,000 North Korean troops at several locations in Russia.

Partnership Between North Korea and Russia Labelled Political

Konstantin Asmolov, a leading research fellow at the Korean Studies Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, opined that the partnership between North Korea and Russia is primarily a political rather than a military matter, where the two countries’ armies are compelled to “unite against a common enemy.”

Also, Vasily Kashin, Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics noted that although Russia and North Korea have not officially confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops, there is potential for “North Korean participation.”

He indicated that citizens from third countries are actively participating in combat. “If North Koreans arrive at the frontlines, they will be wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian documents, as yet another group of foreign volunteers,” he suggested.

In response, South Korea may send its scouts to Ukraine, but Kashin believes this will not significantly affect the situation. “The South Koreans are more concerned about potential Russian arms deliveries to Pyongyang, which is completely unacceptable for them,” the expert concluded.