EU eyes stronger ties with South Korea after North sends troops to Russia

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - The EU foreign policy chief said on Monday that North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia underscores the need for increased EU-South Korea cooperation.

Speaking to the press ahead of an EU-South Korea Strategic Dialogue in the capital Seoul, Josep Borrell said: "It is because the war is at the border, and it is because, in this war, North Korean troops are going to participate, so this increases the need for us to work together."

Rising geopolitical tensions, technological risks, and climate change pose threats to both parties, he said.

"The Indo-Pacific region is at the center of many global changes, including digital transformation, climate change, and the rise of China. Developments in political, economic, and security domains transcend geographical boundaries," Borrell stressed.

He highlighted that modern developments in politics, economics, and security increasingly cross different regions and require coordinated action, linking conflicts that are geographically distant in terms of their impact on global stability.

He said: "The developments in this peninsula and Ukraine are interconnected, despite their distance. The deployment of North Korean troops in Russia further emphasizes the importance of our shared security agenda and increases our need for collaboration."

- North Korea's involvement

Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to North Korea in June, and the parties signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership agreement."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Oct. 25 that they learned that Russia is deploying North Korean troops to combat zones.

The US said there are approximately 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia, including 8,000 deployed at the Kursk region, close to the Ukrainian border.