EU to "consider response if true" to rumors of North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia

The European Union and the EU have indicated that they will take additional sanctions and other measures if the rumors of North Korea's dispatch to Russia are confirmed to be true.

A high-ranking EU official met with reporters in Brussels, Belgium, on the afternoon of the 11th local time and said, "I've seen the media reports and I'm trying to listen to the explanation of Ukraine first."

"This is because the Ukrainian military in the battlefield is most aware of the issue," he said. "We are also communicating with the U.S. side."

The official said, "There is no information to confirm whether North Korean troops have been dispatched at the moment," but explained, "If there is finally evidence, we will review what measures can be taken."

"We have already imposed sanctions on North Korea and reminded Russia that it is a violation of Security Council resolutions," he said.

This means that if North Korea is confirmed to have sent troops to help Russia's war in Ukraine, it will impose additional sanctions on its own.

In February, the EU imposed sanctions on North Korea over North Korea's support for the war in Ukraine, including placing Defense Minister Kang Soon-nam on its own sanctions list.

Earlier, the British daily Guardian reported, citing Ukrainian officials, that North Korea has sent dozens of military engineers to the front to support Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles.

Earlier this month, local media reported that six North Korean military officers were among the 20 people killed in a Ukrainian missile attack in a Russian-occupied area near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.