Tokyo warns about regional security risks, as North Korea strengthens military ties to Russia.
Kyodo News reported that the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed his deep concern about reports of North Korean troops being deployed to Russia in order to potentially be involved in the Ukraine War.
North Korea has been providing Russia with artillery and missiles for its war against Ukraine. According to reports coming from Ukraine and South Korea 3,000 North Korean soldiers are training in Russia’s Far East. This includes special forces. These troops will be expected to reinforce Russia’s depleted military forces, amid ongoing losses on the front including in Kursk Oblast.
Yoshimasa Haiashi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said that the government closely monitors North Korea’s troop deployment in Russia. This includes any possible participation of these forces to Russia’s invasion into Ukraine.
He also noted that the recent intensification of military cooperation between Pyongyang, Russia and China is a cause for concern. This is particularly so because of the impact it has on the security of the region near Japan.
Hayashi said that his country would work with other countries to achieve a fair, lasting peace in Ukraine.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine had previously said that North Korean units were arriving in Russia’s Kursk Oblast in order to help Moscow counterattack Ukrainian forces in the area.
Ukrainian intelligence officials revealed the training of North Korean troops was taking place in five military bases located in eastern Russia: Baranovsky (Donguz), Yekaterinoslavsky (the 248th), and the 249th (249th).
According to Ukraine’s estimates the number of transferred North Korean soldiers currently stands at 12,000, which includes 500 officers and three Generals from Pyongyang.
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