[News UP] Putin "what we'll do on our own"... effectively acknowledging 'North Korea dispatch'?

■ Host: Anchor Yoon Jae-hee, Anchor Cho Jin-hyuk
■ Starring: Former Vice Unification Minister Kim Hyung-seok

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN News UP] when quoting.

[Anchor]
We will continue to learn more about it. We are with former Vice Unification Minister Kim Hyung-seok. Please come in. Russia's lower house of parliament yesterday ratified the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between North Korea and Russia. It was unanimous, and I ratified it earlier than expected, but can I say that I accelerated because of the overflowing evidence of North Korean troop dispatch?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
I think so. Since the United States, NATO, and the international community are confirming that North Korean troops have been dispatched and have entered Russian territory, in this situation, Russia should go head-to-head with this. Then, it is a normal procedure made according to a legal treaty between North Korea and Russia. Therefore, I think it is a quick measure to secure legitimacy at a formal and procedural level.

[Anchor]
After the ratification of the House of Representatives, President Putin was the first to comment on the dispatch of North Korean troops. In the meantime, I said it was fake news and false information, but I said it back.Ma doesn't believe he denied sending troops.

[Kim Hyung-seok]
That's right. So it's a normal relationship of cooperation. As you said this time, there is a treaty, and the treaty says that if one party is invaded, the other party can quickly cooperate with all resources, including military. And the other thing is that Russia is fighting for two years now, and it's going to be a little tough in many ways. In that case, North Korea's cooperation and support are needed, and in such a situation, how can't you keep denying this and saying no? So this is a given. So I think they're trying to break through head-on.

[Anchor]
With Putin also not denying it, then is there a possibility that North Korea will admit it?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
That's possible. For example, I think we rushed the North Korea-Russia summit in June. What do you think?Didn't you talk about it both internally and externally? And since it was said at the time that such a comprehensive strategic partnership was signed, the best treaty was signed, the appropriate measure was taken. And now that North Korea has said it will cooperate as an ally in a legitimate war caused by the invasion of the U.S. imperialists, there is no reason to hide this from North Korea. So I think we'll reveal it when it's appropriate.

[Anchor]
In the midst of this, some argued that North Korean troops were deployed to the front for the first time. It's a story that they were deployed to Kursk State, what kind of area is this, and what will be the role of the North Korean military?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
Kursk is basically Ukraine kind of invaded the Donbas region by Russia, didn't it? So this is the first time Ukraine has advanced on Russian territory as a response. So there's a lot of fierce battles going on right now, and it's hard to get into Ukraine, and the Russian region has been invaded. According to the treaty, the North Korean military plays a role in the military action to normalize the invaded region. Then, I think it would be insufficient to simply support the rear because the area is now a combat area to go to that area. So what the National Intelligence Service has said now is that the storm troop, or special forces, have gone, so it is hard to rule out the possibility that the special forces will act as high-tech elite and advance soldiers like Wagner mercenaries did.

[Anchor]
He pointed out that real combat cannot be ruled out. Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun mentioned at the parliamentary inspection yesterday that the North Korean military is not dispatched, but mercenaries. There are parts disguised as identity and there is no operational authority, so how do you view this part?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
I think it was like that in the beginning. I think I would have disguised myself. If you look at the current trend, don't you think they gave you camouflage ID because there are people with similar body types to North Korean soldiers because they are wearing Russian military uniforms and the Russian region is a federation? So at first, I think I was going to do it in a disguised form of mercenary character. Because the North Korean military intervenes. Then the nature of the war in Ukraine will change. This becomes an international character, so it is also a burden for Russia. So now, for example, NATO or the U.S. is not really just providing military supplies, but sending troops, what if. Then, from Russia's point of view, it's a huge burden. So it's likely that he was trying to disguise his character as a mercenary. From that point of view, as Minister Kim Yong-hyun said yesterday, this is nothing but a mercenary, and in other words, military operations are carried out according to orders from the Russian side, so it has no choice but to be a bullet stand. But for now, President Putin is not going to deny this, and it's going to be different when he says it's a North Korea-Russia treaty, and it's a legitimate dispatch.

[Anchor]
There are talks that the treatment of the North Korean military continues to be bad. Ukraine also aired Korean broadcasts. I see that they show me a picture of meat side dishes and say, "Come this way." Is there a children's song?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
It's a typical psychological method. It can't be said that there is no children's song at all. This itself will be propagated on various social media, and the North Korean military dispatched there may come into contact with it. Then, from that point of view, it's not that there's no possibility of lowering the morale of some kind of battle, so I think there can be enough impact.

[Anchor]
Since the U.S. and NATO also officially confirmed the dispatch of North Korean troops, the international community's movement is expected to accelerate. First of all, if you look at European countries, they are inviting North Korean diplomats to protest and react sensitively, but this is also mentioned as counter-suffering theory.

[Kim Hyung-seok]
First of all, isn't it confirmed that the North Korean military sent troops? Then this is international warfare. So the war in Ukraine is now defined as a bilateral war between Russia and Ukraine, and NATO forces' involvement has drawn a line. But a third country participated in the war? So it's not limited to Ukraine itself, it's not that there's no possibility that it's going to affect Europe or that kind of security. Then NATO can't stand by and watch this. Then, as you said, we should counter-attack the so-called soldiers, and dispatch troops. There is also a story like that in the United States. So, from the perspective of the U.S., in fact, since the U.S. is supporting the war against Ukraine, a third country intervened in this way, but is this the same? This has changed the existing paradigm. So, if you want to respond to this and do that, don't you have to send troops? Therefore, the current dispatch of North Korean troops is not a simple problem, but at the level of European countries, Europe may be invaded in cooperation with Russia due to North Korean military intervention. If you're pushed here, maybe not right away. But if we get pushed back here and the military capabilities of totalitarian countries, Russia and North Korea are strengthened, then the security of Europe is also a risk.

[Anchor]
Some countries are trying to avoid conflict at all. The representative one is China, but I don't know the related situation. What do you think?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
First of all, I have to say that I don't know the easiest way. I know, but I can't not express my position. So we don't know, and we're telling each other to solve it politically. But typically, China is a typical diplomatic drinker. There's no way you don't know. And basically, we share the same trajectory with Russia and North Korea. So far, so far, China is doing that, but it is helping Russia financially, and in the war in Ukraine, isn't it playing a role in procuring various important parts and components in making various military supplies? That's why I'm faithful to my role.

[Anchor]
In the midst of this, President Yoon Suk Yeol criticized North Korea's dispatch for the first time in public and mentioned the possibility of providing weapons of destruction. Then, can we say that it's actually only a matter of time before such weapons support is provided?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
It's not just a matter of time, but it depends on what the North Korean military does. So for now, isn't the international community raising the issue that the North Korean military has been dispatched serious? At the same time, it is said that corresponding measures may be followed depending on this, so it is a stage of suppressing it. Therefore, it is highly likely that Russia and North Korea will do the same in this situation, but it may not be, so it depends on how Russia and North Korea act and take action rather than deciding to go on time. So, for example, if the North Korean military is dispatched as we expected, and Russia provides various sensitive military technologies to North Korea, this is a situation where the battlefield is taking place in Ukraine, but the North Korean military's various combat capabilities gained from the war in Ukraine and the support of military technology from Russia pose a huge risk to our security. So, in this situation, we should not be pushed back by the war in Ukraine. From that point of view, shouldn't we play a role that is responsible and meaningful? Then, in such a situation, we need to carefully consider and take measures for the support of lethal weapons that the president said yesterday. [Anchor] In fact, in the case of weapons, it has been known that Korea has been exporting through the United States and providing support in such a roundabout way. If so, will the aid for weapons of destruction be sent directly to Ukraine if it is made?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
That's right. Since the North Korean military has officially intervened, then aren't we really in sharp conflict with North Korea? Then it's hard to say that we're just a third party. So then it makes sense for us to play a direct role in that position, from the standpoint that we are a direct interested country. Rather than turning it around like this.

[Anchor]
In the midst of this, North Korea sent another balloon yesterday, and this time, it sent leaflets to the South, not garbage. What do you think is the intention?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a major statement in North Korea last time, drones came over Pyongyang, North Korea, on October 3, 9, and 10, where there are leaflets. Didn't you say it's like disparaging North Korea's highest dignity? So I think it's a correspondence to that. At the same time, didn't you drop it mainly in Yongsan? So I think it's that kind of counter-action. And if you look at it recently, it means that it is equipped with GPS, and the contents themselves also contain other things in the past. So if you look at this, North Korea doesn't express anything about this, but beyond simply bothering us at first, our internal chaos and our internal chaos. Recently, there are organizations that want to continue sending leaflets to North Korea, and there is already a conflict over the decision that this should not be done. I think they are taking steps to promote such things with that aim now.

[Anchor]
Then, do you think there is a good possibility that we will continue to send leaflets to South Korea in the future?

[Kim Hyung-seok]
It's very likely that we'll continue because we've already started.

[Anchor]
I see. I'll stop listening to it. I was with former Vice Unification Minister Kim Hyung-seok. Thank you for today.