Deployment of North Korean troops to Russia threat to global security: NATO

The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and their potential participation in combat operations in Ukraine is a major threat to global security, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday.

Announcing on X that he discussed the matter earlier in the day with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Rutte noted that "we are deepening our ties with our Indo-Pacific partners to counter these threats together."

Earlier, in a separate post on X, he said: "North Korean troops on European soil is historic for all the wrong reasons."

"This is a dangerous expansion of the conflict in Ukraine, escalating the war and demonstrating that our security is not regional; it is global," he added.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said that over 10,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Russia.

Neither North Korea nor Russia has commented on the allegations, though the Kremlin has asserted its right to build relations with Pyongyang, describing it as a matter of Russian sovereignty.