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What did Seoul say about North Korean troops?
Summary
A look back at the day South Korea's intelligence service said Pyongyang had begun sending soldiers to fight alongside Russia.
What did South Korea's intelligence service announce on 18 October 2024? It said North Korea had started sending troops to fight with Russia in Ukraine.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol responded by calling for a security meeting. He said the international community must respond with "all available means".
What came before
The announcement followed claims from Kyiv two days earlier. On 16 October 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said North Korea had become directly involved in the war. A senior Ukrainian intelligence official said around 3,000 North Korean troops were then in Russia, training for deployment to Russian-occupied territories.
The South Korean statement on 18 October 2024 therefore came from a government outside the conflict, and it pointed the same way as the Ukrainian accounts.
Western support the same week
On 16 October 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new $425 million military aid package for Ukraine. It included long-range weaponry.
Taken together, the reports from 16 and 18 October 2024 showed foreign involvement in the war widening on both sides: Pyongyang's reported troop deployment to Russia, and a fresh American aid package for Ukraine.
