Germany Summons North Korean Diplomat Over Potential Military Support to Russia

In a significant diplomatic move, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the North Korean chargé d’affaires in Berlin amid reports suggesting the possible deployment of North Korean troops to Russia for involvement in the ongoing war against Ukraine. The German authorities emphasized that if North Korea were to support Russia’s military operations, it would constitute a serious violation of international law.

The Ministry’s statement, released on social media, highlighted that North Korea’s backing of Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine poses a direct threat to both German security and the broader European peace order.

Earlier reports indicated that Russia is forming a special battalion of approximately 3,000 North Korean citizens to participate in combat operations against Ukraine.

However, recent information has emerged that 18 North Korean soldiers have fled from their positions near the border between the Bryansk and Kursk regions, just 7 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

On October 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referenced intelligence reports indicating North Korea’s de facto involvement in the ongoing war, after reports had emerged indicating that more than 20 soldiers were killed near Donetsk due to a missile strike on October 3, including six North Korean officers.