South Korean delegation to return from Ukraine as Seoul readies response to North's troops in Russia

The South Korean government delegation sent to Ukraine to discuss North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia will return home as early as Monday as Seoul prepares its response, including the potential dispatch of observers to Kyiv.

This image captured from the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine shows soldiers appearing to be North Koreans at a military base in Russia. [YONHAP]

The South Korean government delegation sent to Ukraine to discuss North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia will return home as early as Monday as Seoul prepares its response, including the potential dispatch of observers to Kyiv.

“The delegation will return home around Monday,” Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun told reporters during his visit to Washington last Wednesday. “Once they arrive, we will compile various reports, set a direction based on the reports and take necessary measures in conjunction with the international community.”

The “necessary measures” mentioned by Kim refer to sending an observational or monitoring team to Ukraine to better track the movements of the North Korean troops. The South Korean government believes such an observational or monitoring team is necessary.

Last Friday, National Security Office Director Shin Won-sik appeared at the National Assembly Steering Committee’s parliamentary audit and said, “We also think that it is essential to dispatch an observer team and an analysis team to understand how modern warfare is being conducted.”

An observation team could also play a role in interrogating North Korean soldiers captured as prisoners of war by the Ukrainian military.

Accordingly, the South Korean government is expected to seriously consider sending National Intelligence Service (NIS) and military personnel to Ukraine to analyze developments on the battlefield or interrogate North Korean troops based on the reports of the returning delegation.

“Consultations with Ukraine are important, and depending on the results of the delegation reports, matters related to the dispatch of a monitoring team may be specified,” the NIS also stated in a report to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee last Tuesday.

The South Korean government believes that small-scale dispatches of military personnel to overseas battlefields to analyze the on-ground situation is possible without National Assembly consent, as there were cases of dispatching personnel in the form of monitoring teams during the previous Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations.

The government delegation led by First NIS Deputy Director Hong Jang-won headed to Ukraine last week after conducting a briefing on the North Korean military deployment to Russia at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters and the European Union headquarters in Brussels last Monday and Tuesday.

As the delegation briefed Ukraine and European countries bordering Russia and made direct contact with Ukraine, there is speculation that in addition to sharing the most recent updates on the North Korean military deployment, discussions were also held on the step-by-step response options South Korea is reviewing.

Since Ukraine wants support such as South Korea’s air defense weapons systems, related discussions will likely occur.

“There is nothing specific to say at the moment, but it is expected that there will be related discussions at the government level,” a Defense Ministry official said.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]