BRUSSELS: A South Korean government delegation is set to visit Belgium next week to brief officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) on North Korea’s recent troop deployment to Russia, as reported by Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS). The delegation’s visit aims to provide detailed insights into the growing military relations between Pyongyang and Moscow.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the delegation will be led by Hong Jang-won, the first deputy director of the NIS. They are scheduled to meet with representatives from all 32 NATO member countries at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday. The briefing is expected to focus on the strategic implications of North Korea’s troop movements and will be followed by another session at the EU’s Political and Security Committee.

This diplomatic initiative follows a request from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who, during a phone conversation with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier in the wee
k, asked for a South Korean team to be dispatched to provide firsthand information. The delegation’s agenda also includes discussions with Rutte and other senior officials from NATO and the EU.

South Korea, alongside the United States, has reported the deployment of approximately 3,000 North Korean troops to eastern Russia, with projections suggesting that the number could rise to around 10,000 by December. This development is seen as a significant escalation of North Korea’s military collaboration with Russia, which had previously been confined to the provision of artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles.

Seoul has expressed concerns that the presence of North Korean troops could bolster Russian military efforts in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine, a situation South Korea considers a breach of several United Nations Security Council resolutions. The South Korean government views these actions as a potential threat to regional stability and international norms.