North Korea denied last night the information that it was providing troops to Russia that could be used in the conflict in Ukraine. Pyongyang's permanent representative to the UN described Seoul's claim as a "baseless rumour", reported Agence France-Presse.
"As for the so-called military cooperation with Russia, my delegation does not consider it necessary to comment on these baseless tendentious rumours," said the North Korean representative at the UN General Assembly session held late last night in New York.
Seoul's claims "are aimed at tarnishing the image of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and undermining the legitimate, friendly and cooperative relationship between two sovereign countries," he added.
Earlier yesterday, South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul to demand the "immediate" withdrawal of troops sent by Seoul, according to Pyongyang, to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine, South Korea's foreign ministry said.
About 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers are already in Russia for acclimatization and are expected to go to the front soon, South Korean intelligence said on Friday. According to him, a total of about 12,000 troops are expected to be sent.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service has also released detailed satellite images that it says show the first deployment of North Korean troops. Today, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Seoul is considering sending a delegation of military intelligence officials to Ukraine to monitor the deployment of North Korean forces.
South Korea and the US have long claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, AFP recalls.