Seoul summons Russian ambassador over North Korean troop deployment

South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul to protest "in the strongest terms" about the reported dispatch of thousands of North Korean troops to help Russia in its war against Ukraine.

- Justin McCurry

The first vice-foreign minister, Kim Hong-kyun, told the Russian envoy, Georgy Zinoviev, that the participation of North Korean troops in the war violated UN resolutions and demanded their immediate withdrawal, South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday.

"We condemn North Korea's illegal military cooperation, including its dispatch of troops to Russia, in the strongest terms," Kim said, adding that the deployment posed a serious threat to the security of South Korea and other countries. "We will respond jointly with the international community by mobilising all available means against acts that threaten our core security interests."

The decision to call in Zinoviev reflects mounting anger in South Korea, Ukraine and the US over the apparent deployment of North Korean troops as part of a secret military deal struck this year by Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

South Korea's national intelligence service said last week that North Korea had sent an initial contingent of 1,500 special forces to the Russian far east for training at local military bases, adding that they were expected to go on active service in the war in Ukraine.