South Korea intends to send observers to Ukraine because of North Korean soldiers at front

According to him, the National Assembly's consent is not required to send such personnel for a specific purpose and for a limited period.

The official, who wished to remain anonymous, also told reporters that North Korean troops have not yet engaged in full-scale combat operations against Ukrainian forces.

Relations with United States

A South Korean presidential spokesperson said that Seoul will build a perfect security partnership with the new US administration.

The official told reporters that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to meet with the US president-elect in the coming days. Seoul is a staunch US ally in the region, with about 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea as part of efforts to deter a nuclear-armed North Korea.

According to the official, over the past 2.5 years since Yoon became president, no one on either side of the political spectrum in the United States has questioned the importance of the South Korea-US alliance or the need to develop it globally.

Last month, Washington and Seoul agreed on a new five-year plan to share the costs of maintaining US troops in South Korea. Donald Trump, during his presidency, accused South Korea of stowaways at the expense of US military power and demanded that it pay up to $5 billion a year for the deployment of US troops.

Trump declared his victory in the 2024 presidential election after Fox News reported that he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris. This will complete his stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House.

North Korea has sent soldiers to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 11,000 North Korean soldiers are in the Kursk region.

South Korea has provided non-lethal aid to Ukraine, including demining equipment, but still refuses to respond to Kyiv's requests for weapons.