North Korea backs Russia's 'holy war' with troops and funds
North Korea will support the Russian invasion of Ukraine "until victory," announced the head of North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday. She added that the Russian army is "conducting a holy war" against Kyiv. However, she did not mention the thousands of Korean soldiers who are reportedly in the Kursk region.
- We repeat that we will always stand firmly with our Russian comrades until the day of victory - said North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, as quoted by "The Moscow Times".
Choe Son-hui met with her counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The representative of Kim Jong Un's regime praised another leader, Vladimir Putin.
We have no doubts that under the wise leadership of the esteemed Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian army and people will surely achieve a great victory in their holy struggle to defend the sovereign rights and security of their state - she declared.
Lavrov, in response, emphasized that Russia and North Korea have close relations, which involve military and intelligence services. In his view, "Moscow is grateful to the Korean friends for their principled stance on the events that took place in Ukraine".
North Korean soldiers in Ukraine
"The Moscow Times" points out that during the meeting, there was no mention of the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. According to Western sources, several thousand soldiers are stationed in the Kursk region.
Most of the North Korean soldiers sent to Russia are young, around 20 years old, and are reported as recruits who have recently begun serving in the army, according to the South Korean daily "JoongAng," citing military sources. Moscow is said to pay each soldier approximately 2,700 Canadian dollars per month.
The United States and South Korea revealed that in October, at least 3,000 soldiers were transported from North Korea to Russia. By the end of the year, Pyongyang plans to deploy 10,000 military personnel there. On Thursday, Japanese and Ukrainian media reported that about 2,000 North Korean soldiers, who completed training at facilities in Russia's Far East, are being transported by train to the European part of the country, near the border with Ukraine.
