Claims about North Korean soldiers ‘a hoax’ – Kremlin
Reports that North Korean military personnel are fighting alongside Russian forces in the Ukraine conflict are untrue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun claimed during a parliamentary session earlier this week that Pyongyang could send its forces to fight for Russia after it signed a mutual security treaty with Moscow. He claimed such a deployment is “highly likely” and suggested that some North Korean soldiers may have already been killed in the Ukraine conflict.
“This looks like another hoax,” Peskov replied when asked to comment on Seoul’s allegations during a press briefing.
The so-called Comprehensive Partnership Treaty, signed in June during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang, serves to replace a number of previous agreements between Russia and North Korea. It also features a clause on providing mutual military assistance, but only in the event of an attack on one of the parties.
Previously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that the new agreement between the two countries reflected an “exclusively defensive position” and that only those who plan aggression against Russia or North Korea could object to it.
Moscow has also noted that the agreement is not directed against South Korea or any other third parties, but has nevertheless described it as “a kind of warning” for countries that might consider using military means to resolve problems on the Korean Peninsula.
Seoul has already raised the issue of North Korean soldiers supposedly taking part in Russia’s military operation against Ukraine, including shortly after the launch of Moscow’s offensive against Kiev in 2022.
Russia has repeatedly brushed off the allegations, with President Putin reiterating last month that reports about North Korean volunteers being sent to fight against Ukraine were “complete nonsense.”
