French and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers Warn "North Korea Troop Deployment Poses Huge Risk of Escalation"

Rus-Ukr, 95 Prisoners Exchanged Each

The foreign ministers of France and Ukraine said on the 19th (local time) that North Korea's deployment of troops to the Ukraine war to assist Russia would pose a tremendous risk of escalation.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, is delivering a speech at the General Assembly held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 25th of last month (local time).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Foreign Minister, and Andriy Syvokha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, expressed these concerns at a joint press conference held in Kyiv, Ukraine, on the same day.

Le Drian, who visited Kyiv for the first time since taking office last month, said, "If it is confirmed that North Korea has dispatched troops to support Russia, it will be a major problem that deepens the crisis," adding, "(The deployment of North Korean troops) would be evidence that Moscow is struggling in the war."

Minister Syvokha also said that North Korean military involvement in the Ukraine war would be a "tremendous risk of escalation."

The day before, the National Intelligence Service announced that North Korea had decided to deploy a large special forces unit to the Ukraine war to assist Russia, with the size expected to be 12,000 personnel. Among them, 1,500 have already moved to Vladivostok, Russia, and are undergoing acclimatization training, with a second transport operation expected soon.

Amid growing risks of escalation, Minister Le Drian expressed support for Ukraine's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He said, "France is open to the idea of an immediate invitation for Ukraine's NATO membership and is discussing this with partners."

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 95 prisoners of war each the day before.