UN chief ‘very concerned’ about reports of North Korean soldiers in Russia for deployment in Ukraine

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres is “very concerned” about reports of North Korean troops on Russia’s soil and fears the “escalation of the war in Ukraine”, his spokesperson said.

Mr Guterres’s remarks come as the US intelligence confirmed thousands of North Korean troops are already on their way to Russia’s Kursk border region where Ukraine’s incursion is underway.

“The Secretary-General is very concerned about reports of troops from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea being sent to the Russian Federation, including their possible deployment to the conflict zone,” said Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief’s spokesperson.

“This would represent a very dangerous escalation of the war in Ukraine. Everything must be done to avoid any internationalisation of this conflict,” he warned in the statement on Sunday.

Mr Guterres backed his call for “all meaningful efforts towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine”.

The US and Ukraine have slammed Russia for violating the UN charter by involving North Korea in the more than two-and-a-half year old war, citing international sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime.

According to the Biden administration, around 10,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia’s Kursk to bolster Vladimir Putin’s failed defence against Ukraine’s push in the coming days.

Ukraine’s estimates, higher than Washington’s, suggest that around 12,000 North Koreans are involved in fighting on behalf of Russia. Of these, more than 7,000 North Koreans with Russian gear and weapons are already in areas near Ukraine, Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said on Saturday.

The agency, GUR, said the North Korean troops were being trained in at least five locations in Russia’s far east.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has sought permission from his allies to strike on camps where North Korean troops are being trained to prevent them from reaching the battlefield.

Calling on his allies to “stop watching” and consent to preemptive Ukrainian strikes on camps using Western-made long -range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia, Mr Zelensky said: "But instead – America is watching, Britain is watching, Germany is watching. Everyone is just waiting for the North Korean military to start attacking Ukrainians as well."

South Korea on Friday signalled possible readiness to increase support for Ukraine, stating that “all possible scenarios are under consideration”.

South Korea’s foreign minister Cho Tae-yul said that Seoul will monitor North Korean troop involvement in Russia and the “benefits” that North Korea is likely to receive from Russia to determine a course of action.

Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul have urged Pyongyang to withdraw its troops. Russia and North Korea have not issued a comment confirming the deployment of their troops against Ukraine.