South Korea Holds Meeting Amid Allegations of North Korean Troops in Ukraine

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an emergency security meeting on Friday over claims that North Korea has deployed troops to Ukraine as a demonstration of close ties with Russia, Bloomberg reports.

Yoon’s office issued a statement declaring the potential deployment a “serious security threat” to South Korea and the international community. While the statement did not provide evidence, as well as failed to specify the number of troops involved or their exact location, it followed an allegation by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said that North Korea was preparing to send 10,000 troops to join the Russian forces.

Ukrainian officials have for weeks claimed at North Korean soldiers participating in the conflict, but have not provided concrete evidence.

 In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to provide immediate military assistance to each other if one faced an attack.

North Korea maintains one of the world’s largest militaries, with an estimated 1.28 million active troops, according to South Korea’s defense white paper.

This development comes after Washington and Seoul accused Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with artillery shells and ballistic missiles, allegations both North Korea and Russia deny.