The government reiterated that it will take “effective and phased” steps, in line with the principles of composure and restraint, in response to the battlefield deployment of North Korean troops in support of Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Speaking to local reporters on Thursday, an official at Seoul’s unification ministry accused the North of sending troops to fight in an unjustified war.

The official said the fact that the regime has yet to inform its people about the deployment offers another example of its “deceptive nature.”

Defense ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said at a press briefing that Seoul will respond sternly to what he called Pyongyang’s inhumane and criminal act of forcing its soldiers to become human shields.

On Wednesday, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service confirmed that North Korean troops have started engaging in front-line combat in Russia’s Kursk region, consistent with intelligence from the United States.