The top diplomats of South Korea, Canada, France and Italy have voiced concerns over the threat posed by North Korea’s troop deployment to fight for Russia in its war with Ukraine, pledging to work together for a concerted response, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Canadian, French and Italian counterparts made the point during Cho’s separate talks with them on the sidelines of the foreign ministers’ gathering of the Group of Seven advanced nations in Fiuggi, Italy, according to the ministry.
South Korea and the United States said that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia in support of its war against Ukraine, and some of them have already entered combat in Russia’s western Kursk border region.
In a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly the previous day, Cho shared the latest developments and concerns about the forces deployment. Cho explained his country’s plan to take “effective, phased” measures in response to the security threats posed by “illegal” Russia-North Korea military cooperation.
Joly pledged to continue working with South Korea, saying that properly addressing the issue is important for the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.
