Government Gambles Russia With Bad State's North Korean Forces at Security Council

[Anchor]
At a meeting convened by the UN Security Council, South Korea, a member of the council, strongly condemned military cooperation, saying Russia has gambled with North Korean troops.

The U.S. said that if North Korea's participation in the war in Ukraine is true, Russian President Putin's sense of isolation has increased.

This is correspondent Lee Seung-yoon's report from New York.

[Reporter]
The U.N. Security Council held an official meeting at the U.N. headquarters on the Ukraine situation.

South Korea, a member of the Security Council, strongly condemned Russia for gambling with troops from North Korea, a rogue country.

[Hwang Joon-guk / Ambassador to the United Nations: This is not just an attack on U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea, it is a blatant threat to Europe, Northeast Asia, and global security]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on the West to take action, highlighting North Korea's new role in supporting Russia.

[Volodymyr Zelensky / Ukrainian President: Putin fears peace. This is why we want to expand our aggression and involve North Korea at the forefront of the front line.

The U.S. government said, "If North Korea's participation in the war in Ukraine is true, it is a dangerous and worrisome situation."

[Robert Wood / U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations] If Russia is really relying on North Korea for military issues, it would be a sign that the Kremlin is in a state of urgency.]


U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also stressed the need to fight back together, referring directly to North Korea supporting Russia.

[U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin]: We must continue to confront the unrest created by Putin, backed by dictators in North Korea and Iran.]

The U.S. has pledged 550 billion won worth of military aid to Ukraine, including ammunition and military equipment.

As the war in Ukraine has become more complex due to North Korea's controversy over its participation in the war, the international community, including the UN, is struggling to find a solution.

I'm YTN's Lee Seungyoon from New York.