The permanent mission of North Korea to the United Nations has denied media reports and statements from the South Korean government indicating that North Korea is sending troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, dismissing them as rumors. 

An official at the North Korean mission issued the denial Monday during a session of the UN General Assembly First Committee, also known as the Disarmament and International Security Committee, at the UN headquarters in New York.

Regarding the so-called “military cooperation” between North Korea and Russia, he said the North Korean mission does not feel the need to address what he called “groundless and obvious rumors” aimed at damaging legitimate, friendly cooperation between sovereign states and tarnishing the North’s national image.

It is the first response from North Korean authorities to recent reports that the North is dispatching troops to support Russia.

The official added that so-called arms transfers between sovereign states do not fall under the discussion topics of disarmament and international security. 

The remarks came in response to a statement from a representative of Ukraine that North Korea is trading arms with Russia and is expected to send large numbers of troops to Russia soon.