“The Japanese government is following the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia with serious concern, including the possibility that they might join Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” said Yosimasa Hayashi, chief secretary of the Japanese government.
“The recent development of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including this development, not only contributes to the further deterioration of the situation in Ukraine, but also raises serious concerns in terms of its impact on the security of the region around Japan,” Hayasi told reporters.
“Japan will continue to collect and analyze the relevant information and will continue to cooperate with the international community in order to fully implement the relevant Security Council resolutions as soon as possible and achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Hayasi said. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a shameful act that shakes the foundations of the international order.”
The Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced on Thursday that the first units of North Korean soldiers trained at training sites in eastern Russia have already arrived in the war zone and were spotted in Russia’s Kursk region on Wednesday.
North Korean soldiers are trained at five training sites in eastern Russia, including near Usuriysk and Ulanude.
The number of North Korean soldiers stationed in Russia is currently about 12,000, including 500 officers, including three Pyongyang generals, according to HUR data.
Moscow has appointed Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunusbek Yevkurov as the person responsible for overseeing the training and adaptation of North Korean soldiers.