The G7 countries are preparing a coordinated response to the deployment of DPRK troops on the front line

6 November, 2024 North Korean special forces during a military exercise. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven and three allied countries are working on a "coordinated response" to the deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine.

Radio Svoboda reported on this with reference to a statement by the ministers published on the website of the Japanese Foreign Ministry. It is reported that members of the Group of Seven signed the statement - the United States, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Canada, as well as South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the EU High Representative. "The DPRK's direct support for Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, in addition to demonstrating Russia's desperate efforts to compensate for its losses, will be a dangerous expansion of the conflict with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific peace and security.

It would be a further violation of international law, including the most important principles of the UN Charter," the statement reads.

Mobilized DPRK citizens. Photo credits: KCNA

The Ministers call on the DPRK to stop assisting Russia in its aggressive war. "We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to support Ukraine as it defends its freedom, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

We are working with our international partners on a coordinated response to these developments," the ministers added.

Deployment of DPRK troops on the front line

As previously reported, Russia is moving North Korean fighters with the help of at least 28 military transport planes of its Air Force. The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) stated that in the last week of October, Russia transferred over 7,000 North Korean soldiers. They were transferred by air from the coastal regions of Russia to areas near Ukraine.

Soldiers of the Special Operations Forces of the North Korean Armed Forces

The North Koreans were armed, in particular, with 60 mm mortars, AK-12 rifles, RPK/PKM machine guns, SVD/SVCh sniper rifles, Phoenix anti-tank systems, and RPG-7s.

The North Koreans were also given night vision devices, thermal imagers, collimator sights, and binoculars.

On November 1, it was reported that about 8,000 DPRK soldiers are currently stationed in the Kursk region of Russia.