Seoul [South Korea], October 29: North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has left Pyongyang to visit Russia, according to KCNA news agency today, October 29.
KCNA reported that a delegation led by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui departed on October 28 for an official visit to Russia, without giving details.
Choe's visit came as NATO, South Korea, the United States and Ukraine confirmed Pyongyang's troop deployment to Russia, saying North Korean military units had been deployed to Russia's Kursk province near the Ukrainian border, according to Reuters.
The Pentagon confirmed on October 28 that North Korea had sent 10,000 troops to eastern Russia for training, up from an estimate of 3,000 troops given on October 23, and said Washington would not impose new restrictions on Ukraine's use of US weapons if North Korean troops entered the war.
Also on October 28, US President Joe Biden said that North Korea sending thousands of troops to Russia was a dangerous development, amid Western concerns that North Korean soldiers would be used for Moscow's war in Ukraine, according to AFP.
In a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on October 28, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeo said that the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the front line of the conflict in Ukraine could happen sooner than expected, according to Reuters.
After the phone call, Ms. von der Leyen said on the social network X: "The security of Europe and East Asia is closely linked. North Korean soldiers are deployed to support Russia's war. This is a serious escalation in this war and a threat to global peace . We will respond together with like-minded partners."
There is currently no information about Pyongyang's reaction to such statements.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper