The participation of North Korean troops in the war in Ukraine will has “extremely significant“ impact on the security of East Asia, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said today during his visit to Kyiv, where he promised support for Ukraine, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
„This will not only worsen the situation in Ukraine, but will also have extremely significant consequences for the security situation in East Asia,” Ivaya said, referring to the alleged involvement of North Korean troops in the fighting in Russia's border Kursk region.
„We are deeply disturbed by this development of events and we strongly condemn it”, he added during his visit to Ukraine.
For several weeks, there have been reports that Pyongyang is sending thousands of troops to Russia, with the West and Ukraine saying they are already in the Russian border region of Kursk.
The Japanese minister visited Bucha, a town near Kiev where Russian forces have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians at the start of the war.
„Our position remains unchanged, namely that Japan stands behind Ukraine”, he noted.
His Ukrainian colleague Andriy Sibiha said that the participation of North Korean troops in the war is “proof that the future of the security architecture not only of Europe, but of the world is being decided in Ukraine”.
He defined the visit of his Japanese counterpart as “an important sign of solidarity, especially at such a difficult time”.
Sibiha also praised the ties with Tokyo. “Although we are separated by eight thousand kilometers, our countries are very close in terms of values”, he said.
According to Kiev, about 11,000 North Korean soldiers are already stationed in Russia and have started fighting with Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, according to AFP.