The People’s Army of North Korea has sent an elite military training delegation to Russia, the Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday, the first announcement of a military exchange involving Pyongyang since the two countries concluded a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in June.
The delegation, headed by Kim Guen Choi, president of Kim Il Sung Military University, flew from Pyongyang on Monday, the North Korean state-run news agency said. The purpose of the visit has yet to be announced.
In June, Russia and North Korea concluded a partnership that includes a mutual defense agreement in times of emergency. The two countries are also likely to increase exchanges of military personnel.
The United Nations has imposed sanctions on countries that provide military support to North Korea. Pyongyang made the announcement without reference to the U.N. sanctions, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in a recent interview with Reuters, urged Russia not to provide military support to North Korea, calling on Moscow to carefully consider which of the two Koreas is more important to Russia’s national interest.
Yoon also said South Korea will decide whether to provide weapons to Ukraine after analyzing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. Such cooperation could threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe, he said.
