Trump and South Korean president discuss Russia's involvement of North Korean military on battlefield in Ukraine

US President-elect Donald Trump has called his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk-yeol, where they discussed, among other topics, the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia to support its war efforts against Ukraine.

As reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap, Kim Tae-hyo said Yoon had congratulated Trump on his "landslide victory" in the presidential elections. During the call, they discussed bilateral "security, the economy and global issues". 

Yoon and Trump addressed "North Korea's situation, including recent nuclear developments, missile launches and troop deployment to Russia". Both leaders "expressed their concerns on these security issues and on the urgency of the situation in Ukraine".

Trump emphasised US interest in cooperating with South Korea in the shipbuilding industry, specifically in naval ship construction, export, repair and maintenance. 

The South Korean leader’s office also noted that they had agreed on an in-person meeting in the near future. 

"They agreed that an in-person meeting would be essential to discuss these matters further and will coordinate soon on a date and location," Kim Tae-hyo said.

The foreign ministers of the G7 countries, along with those from three key allied nations (South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) expressed their serious concern on Tuesday, 5 November regarding the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia. They are currently collaborating on a coordinated response to address this situation.

UK Defence Intelligence has indicated that North Korean troops involved in fighting against Ukraine would encounter interoperability issues with Russian forces and their equipment.

Sources in Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) confirmed that the first clash between Ukrainian forces and North Korean troops has taken place in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.