North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui arrived in Russia and will visit Moscow on Wednesday, according to Russian state-run media.
It follows a day after NATO confirmed North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk to support Russian forces, who have been struggling to push back the Ukrainian army since Kyiv’s incursion in August.
It is Choe’s second visit to Russia in six weeks, although the exact purpose of the trip remains unclear.
In a closed-door meeting at South Korea’s parliament, the republic’s National Intelligence Service believes the two countries will discuss the deployment of additional Russian troops and what Pyongyang may get in return.
There is speculation that Russia may offer technology in return, which worries South Korean and Western leaders as it could advance the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
Pyongyang and Moscow have not directly admitted that North Korean troops are present in Russia but claim that their military cooperation conforms with International law.
There is a growing concern over the partnership between the two countries. On Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia “undermines peace and security”.
Speaking to Rutte and European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol urged European governments to coordinate more closely to “monitor and block illegal exchanges between Pyongyang and Moscow.”
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He added that the troops may be deployed to the frontline areas sooner than expected. According to South Korea’s spy agency, some generals and other high-ranking officials may already be present on the front line.
The US said that Russia’s procurement of North Korean personnel and supplies violates UN Security Council resolutions and raised suspicions that Russia is helping North Korea to evade sanctions and unlawfully finance its weapons program.
