Anchor: For the first time, North Korea has confirmed having sent troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine under the defense treaty between the two countries. The South Korean government said the North has admitted to a crime. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: North Korea’s state Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said Monday that the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, decided to deploy troops to Russia under the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty he signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.

The KCNA cited a statement from the Central Military Commission of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, which said the previous day that Kim invoked Article 4 of the partnership treaty, under which the two nations agreed to provide military aid to each other in the event of war.

The announcement came just two days after Russia confirmed the deployment for the first time, some six months after reports surfaced that the North’s special forces were sent to the Kursk region to fight for Russia. 

The report also said North Korean troops took part in an operation to liberate the Kursk area, in an apparent bid to justify the deployment as part of its effort to fulfill its obligations under the partnership treaty with Russia.    

The report quoted Kim as saying he will set up a monument in the capital soon to honor the soldiers who died while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, while also promising benefits for the bereaved families. 

The defense ministry in Seoul responded by denouncing Pyongyang, saying it has admitted to a crime.

The unification ministry, for its part, said the North’s claim that its actions comply with international law demonstrates that the reclusive state continues to mock the international community.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : YONHAP News / EPA]