EU's Borrell Urges South Korea to Boost Support for Ukraine Amid North Korea-Russia Military Cooperation

During his visit to South Korea on November 4, Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, called on the nation to bolster its support for Ukraine in light of North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia.

“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an existential threat. The Republic of Korea is best positioned to understand it,” Borrell wrote on his account on X after meeting the South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun. “We are united in our support to Ukraine. I encouraged them to step it up.”

Borrell arrived in South Korea on Monday following a visit to Japan. During his stay, he visited the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates South Korea from North Korea.

According to estimates from Ukrainian Intelligence on October 24, the number of North Korean military personnel transferred to Russia is currently around 12,000, including 500 officers, among them 3 generals from Pyongyang.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced during a briefing on October 31 that 8,000 North Korean troops have already been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region.