**Authorities Confirm First Engagement Officially**
**Korea-EU Security Partnership Concluded**
**Comprehensive Cooperation and Condemnation of North Korean Troop Deployment**
It has been reported that North Korean troops deployed to Russia have engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces occupying Russia’s Kursk region. Although there have been analyses suggesting delays in combat deployment due to communication issues, the troops appear to have been thrust into the battlefield immediately, possibly due to Russia’s manpower shortage. In response to the close ties between North Korea and Russia, South Korea and the European Union (EU) have decided to strengthen cooperation in 15 security and defense-related areas.
According to Ukraine’s local media outlet, the Kyiv Independent, Andriy KovalENko, head of the Disinformation Response Center under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, announced via Telegram on the 4th (local time) that “North Korean troops have already come under artillery fire in Kursk.” This marks the first confirmation from Ukrainian authorities that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia have been involved in actual combat with Ukrainian forces.
In response to North Korea’s participation in the Russia-Ukraine war, South Korea and the EU have agreed to enhance their security cooperation. On the 4th, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, held the ‘1st Korea-EU Strategic Dialogue’ and concluded a Korea-EU Security Partnership that accelerates cooperation in 15 security and defense fields including maritime security, cyber, space security, and defense industries. Minister Cho and High Representative Borrell strongly condemned North Korea’s support for Russia as a threat to global security and urged the withdrawal of North Korean troops and the cessation of military cooperation.
[Reporters Moon Ga-young / Kim Sang-jun]