A pro-Russia Telegram account has shared an image displaying the Russian and North Korean flags side by side on a Ukrainian battlefield, suggesting that North Korea may have sent troops to aid Russia in its ongoing war with Ukraine. The photo, posted by blogger @rvvoenkor_bot, depicts both flags raised over a mine in Pokrovsk, a key stronghold in eastern Ukraine, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
.@YonhapNews Image captured from the Telegram account of @rvvoenkor_bot on Oct. 22 shows Russian and North Korean flags displayed side by side at one of Ukraine’s battlefields.https://t.co/yaSsRrNQQM pic.twitter.com/AemttmhQdY
— Yeji Chung (@chung_yeji) October 22, 2024
The blogger noted that the North Korean flag was recently hoisted on a hill at the mine, which is believed to be one of the areas where North Korean soldiers are stationed. On Friday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service announced that North Korea had decided to send approximately 12,000 special forces to support Russia, with around 1,500 already deployed to Russia’s Far East.
This deployment marks the first significant deployment of North Korean ground troops, although the country has previously sent smaller groups of soldiers abroad to earn foreign currency. So far, North Korea’s state media has not officially commented on the troop deployment to Russia.
In response to allegations from South Korea and Ukraine regarding the troop deployment, a North Korean envoy to the United Nations dismissed these claims as “groundless rumors,” asserting that North Korea’s relationship with Moscow is “legitimate and cooperative.”
On Monday, Russian Ambassador to South Korea Georgy Zinoviev informed First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun that the cooperation with North Korea does not threaten South Korea’s security interests and is conducted within the framework of international law, according to a Facebook post from the Russian Embassy in Seoul.
A South Korean unification ministry official stated that North Korea has never acknowledged the deployment of its soldiers, as it would be deemed illegal. The official, who requested anonymity, referred to the 2010 sinking of the Cheonan warship, which resulted in the deaths of 46 South Korean sailors, as a precedent for North Korea’s denial of involvement in illegal activities. A team of multinational investigators concluded that a North Korean torpedo was responsible for the sinking, but North Korea continues to deny any responsibility.
