South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jong-un believes that North Korea may have sent its military personnel to Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions to support Russia's war against Ukraine.
The head of the defense department made this statement during a parliamentary speech, commenting on media reports about the death of North Korean army officers near occupied Donetsk, according to the Korea Times.
"As Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual treaty akin to a military alliance, the possibility of such a deployment is highly likely," said Kim.
He explained that this assessment is made against the backdrop of deepening ties between North Korea and Russia, highlighted by a large-scale strategic partnership agreement between the two countries, which includes mutual defense provisions, signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin in June.
"Given this, a recent report on North Korean troop casualties in a Russian-occupied territory near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is also likely to be true," the minister noted.
