Netherlands believes devising penalties for North Korea assisting Russia will be tough

Ruben Brekelmans, Dutch Defence Minister, has acknowledged that it would be challenging for the West to devise measures against North Korea for sending troops to support Russia in the war against Ukraine, as nearly all possible sanctions are already in place against the country.

As reported by NOS, the minister stated before a government meeting on Friday morning that the Netherlands had also received confirmation of North Korea’s deployment of military personnel to Russia, currently estimated at 1,500 troops.

Brekelmans anticipates these troops will initially be deployed in Kursk Oblast and potentially in other areas later. He says that these are primarily special forces’ units from the North Korean military.

The Dutch Defence Minister noted that the Netherlands is consulting with allies on this issue, but admitted that finding additional measures against North Korea remains difficult.

"All conceivable sanctions are already in place against North Korea. However, the West must send a clear signal condemning this action as unacceptable. We cannot allow other countries to join Russia in this war," he stated.

The EU recently announced it would coordinate its response with international partners regarding North Korea’s actions.

On 23 October, South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea had sent 3,000 troops to Russia to support the occupiers in the war against Ukraine, while attempting to keep the soldiers’ families isolated to prevent information leaks.

Later, the White House confirmed the presence of thousands of North Korean troops in Russia and stated that if North Korean forces engage in combat in Ukraine, they would become lawful targets, just like Russian troops.