[서울=뉴스핌] Foreign Affairs Reporter Yoo Shin-mo = At the National Assembly audit of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held at the National Assembly on the 24th, the issue of sending North Korean troops to Russia was discussed intensively. Lawmakers asked questions about the security impact of North Korea’s troop deployment, Korea-Russia relations, and the possibility of weapons support to Ukraine.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol drew attention by saying in his reply that day that it was highly likely that China was excluded in the process of North Korea sending troops to Russia. Minister Cho responded as follows when asked whether he believed China would tolerate North Korean troops participating in the Ukraine war for Russia.
Minister Cho said, “I think there is a big difference between what China expresses externally and what it is worried about internally,” and added, “There is a fundamental question about North Korea going all-in on Russia to the extent of worsening relations with China.” However, Minister Cho explained, “It is excessive to expect that (China’s) fundamental strategy toward North Korea will change just because China has a slightly uneasy relationship with North Korea.”
In response to lawmakers pointing out that the government needs to take strong measures to change China’s attitude, Minister Cho said, “I think China is clinging to Russia because it is not actively helping (North Korea), so China’s role is more important.” “He answered.
In response to Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Yong-seon’s point that the Ukraine war has no direct interests with South Korea, Minister Cho countered, saying, “North Korea is helping Russia, so how can you say that it has no interests with us?” Minister Cho pointed out that North Korea would not have sent troops without compensation and said, “It will eventually come back as a threat to our security, but I don’t think we can sit idly by.”
Regarding the government’s mention of the possibility of providing offensive weapons to Ukraine, Minister Cho said, “It is a necessary measure to express a strong response policy and will to take action, while urging withdrawal and suppressing further deployment of troops.”
Minister Cho also emphasized that the government’s mention of arms support to Ukraine is a message that all options are on the table. “What we do depends on all the detailed developments: how Russia comes out, what North Korea receives, and how much support North Korea provides to Russia,” he said.
In response to a question from People Power Party Rep. Kim Tae-ho asking whether the dispatch of North Korean troops crossed the ‘red line’ set by the government, Minister Cho immediately responded, “I don’t think it is a good strategy to publicly reveal where our red line is.” avoided.
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