South Korea’s Yoon, Poland’s Duda condemn North Korea troop dispatch to Russia

SEOUL - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Polish President Andrzej Duda on Oct 24 condemned North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Russia for its war against Ukraine as a global security threat, Mr Yoon’s office said.

The two leaders held a summit and agreed to push to finalise a new contract to export South Korean K-2 tanks to Poland by the end of the year, Mr Yoon told a joint news conference with Duda.

“We agreed that North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Russia is a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter and is a provocation that goes beyond the Korean Peninsula and Europe to threaten global security,” Mr Yoon said.

North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, South Korean lawmakers said on Oct 23 after being briefed by the national intelligence agency, an estimate that is twice the previous figure.

The South Korean and Polish governments will actively lend support to seal a deal before the end of the year for South Korea's Hyundai Rotem to supply K-2 tanks to Poland, Yoon said.

Mr Yoon said South Korea and Poland will establish a new forum for defence dialogue and cooperate closely on security matters that affect the two countries.

South Korea, an emerging major arms exporter, has signed an estimated US$22 billion (S$29 billion) framework agreement in 2022 to export mechanised howitzers, tanks and fighter jets, as Poland ramps up military spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. REUTERS