NATO Chief: "North Korea Confirmed Deploying to Russian Kursk... Dangerous Escalation Act"

"Scheduled to Talk with President Yoon"

Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stated on the 28th (local time) that "it can be confirmed that North Korean troops have been transferred to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed in the Kursk region of Russia."

Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). [Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

Secretary General Rutte made these remarks during a meeting with reporters after receiving a briefing from the South Korean government delegation at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

He explained, "Today, we discussed strengthening military support for Ukraine and are actively discussing the situation's developments with Ukraine and Indo-Pacific partners."

Secretary General Rutte emphasized, "The deployment of North Korean troops is a significant escalation of tension in DPRK's continued illegal involvement in Russia's war," adding, "It is another violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and a dangerous expansion of Russia's war."

He also mentioned that he would have a phone call later that afternoon with President Yoon Suk-yeol and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

He pointed out, "NATO urges North Korea to immediately cease such actions," and noted, "The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to security in both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions."

He further stated that Russia is providing North Korea with military technology and support to circumvent international (North Korea) sanctions in exchange for the troop deployment, emphasizing, "This is why it is important for democratic countries that share the same values to unite and respond to common security challenges."

At the same time, he said, "The deployment of North Korean troops also reflects Putin's increasing desperation," adding, "More than 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Putin's war, and he cannot continue the attack on Ukraine without foreign support."