North Korean troops deployed in Russia have been assigned to the Russian military at the platoon level, highly likely to be used as “cannon fodder” in dangerous areas, South Korea’s defense chief said Thursday.
That’s according to Yonhap, Ukrinform reports.
Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun made the remark during a session of the parliamentary defense committee.
“It should be noted that the war is led by Russia, and from the stance of units heads of the Russian military, they are likely to send the North Korean platoons to the most dangerous and difficult areas,” Kim said, stressing that the term “cannon fodder” well describes the situation.
His remarks came after Ukrainian officials said North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia had been integrated in Russian military units consisting of ethnic minorities or disguised as indigenous people.
Kim also reaffirmed his stance that South Korea should send a military monitoring team to Ukraine, but said that the defense ministry is not engaging in talks over such possible deployment, hinting that a government-wide discussion is under way.
In regard to the possibility of Seoul’s provision of weapons to Kyiv, Kim said South Korea will “work in solidarity with the international community,” rather than directly addressing the issue.
As reported earlier, a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov visited South Korea for talks to discuss joint responses to emerging security threats.
The delegation shared intelligence on the growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Source: DPRK troops to be “cannon fodder” in Russian war - Seoul
