South Korea could follow the North into the Russia-Ukraine war

South Korean media claimed Monday that Seoul may send military and intelligence personnel to Ukraine after the North sent troops to support Russia in the war.

A report said South Korea's government and military are “exploring a plan to send an appropriate number of personnel, including intelligence officers (specializing in North Korea) and enemy tactics experts,” to Ukraine, citing one South Korean intelligence officials.

South Korean personnel in Ukraine would conduct interrogations or provide interpreting services if North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces, the report said. They would also provide Kiev with information about the North's military tactics, doctrines and operations.

The South's Defense Ministry said at a news conference later on Monday that it would consider measures with an “open mind” regarding possible shipments of lethal weapons to Ukraine. Seoul provided humanitarian aid to Kiev during the Russia-Ukraine War.

The report and remarks from South Korea came after the country's intelligence service claimed Friday that Kim Jong Un-ruled North Korea had decided to send 12,000 special forces to support Russia, with 1,500 of them already in the Russian Far East.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that North Korea “intends to prepare 10,000 soldiers from various branches of the armed forces” to fight alongside Russia and warned that the North's involvement is “the first step towards a world war.” could be.

North Korea has reportedly sent thousands of ammunition containers to Russia. Last month, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence said the North's support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort was the “worst problem” facing Kiev from Moscow's allies.

The Kremlin on Monday refused to answer questions about Russia's alleged plan to use North Korean soldiers in its so-called “special military operation” against Ukraine, claiming “we are seeing a lot of contradictory information” from South Korea and its ally the United States.

“North Korea is our close neighbor, our partner, and we are developing our relations in all areas,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to state media. “This shouldn’t worry anyone, because this cooperation is not directed against third countries.”

Increased military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has become an issue of mutual interest for South Korea and NATO. The US-led alliance has supported Ukraine since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.

During a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned the military alignment between Moscow and Pyongyang and said his country would actively take “gradual measures” in response.

Yoon's office said the South Korean president told Rutte he would immediately dispatch officials to facilitate information sharing and take measures to strengthen security cooperation.

Pyongyang has neither denied nor confirmed allegations of troop deployments in Russia. Newsweek emailed the North Korean embassy in China seeking comment.