The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, declared that he will coordinate with NATO "response measures" in light of the intensification of collaboration between Pyongyang and Moscow and the sending of North Korean troops to supposedly fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. During a phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Yoon stated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the alliance between Russia and North Korea highlight the interconnection of security in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic regions.
"This undermines the international rules-based order, threatens peace on the Korean peninsula and globally, and our government will never allow this to happen without action," Yoon pointed out during the conversation. The call came after the South Korean National Intelligence Service reported that North Korea has decided to send 12,000 soldiers to Ukraine to support Russia in the war, and that the deployment of these troops has already begun.
Yoon expressed to Rutte South Korea's willingness to take "phased measures" according to the level of cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, and its willingness to coordinate "practical response measures" with NATO and its member countries. Regarding the possibility of South Korea supplying arms to Ukraine, the South Korean government had considered this option in June following the agreement between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin, but so far it has been limited to offering humanitarian aid and non-lethal supplies to Kiev.
In addition, Rutte warned that the sending of North Korean troops to join Russia in Ukraine would represent a significant escalation. During the conversation with Yoon, the NATO Secretary General mentioned the close partnership between NATO and Seoul, as well as cooperation in defense and the interconnection of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security. Both leaders agreed to closely monitor developments in cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, and Yoon offered to designate a delegation to share information with NATO.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to the country to express Seoul's dissatisfaction with the transfer of North Korean troops to Russian territory with the apparent intention of having them deployed to the front in Ukraine to support Moscow in the invasion.
