Germany, Austria summon North Korea's top envoy

24/10/2024 6:09

        Germany and Austria
        summoned North Korea's top envoys in their countries on
        Wednesday over growing concerns that Pyongyang has sent troops
        and weapons to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine.
        
        The United States said for the first time on Wednesday that
        it had seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia, and South
        Korean lawmakers said about 3,000 soldiers had been sent to
        support the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, with more to follow.
        
        "Should reports be true on North Korean soldiers in Ukraine
        and should North Korea now be supporting the Russian war of
        aggression in Ukraine with troops, this would be serious and in
        violation of international law," the German Foreign Ministry
        said in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday morning.
        
        Hours after Germany summoned North Korea's charge
        d'affaires, Austria's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned
        Pyongyang's ambassador to Vienna.
        
        Germany is a staunch U.S. ally and NATO member that hosts
        U.S. military bases. Its neighbour Austria is militarily neutral
        but supports Ukraine politically, though its conservative-led
        government is acting in a caretaker capacity during coalition
        talks after last month's parliamentary election.
        
        "We summoned the Ambassador of #NorthKorea to express grave
        concerns about reports of the presence of DPRK weapons & troops
        in #Russia," the Austrian ministry said on X, using the
        abbreviation of North Korea's official name, the Democratic
        People's Republic of Korea.
        
        "This military support in the war against #Ukraine is a
        blatant violation of int’l law and undermines security in Europe
        & the Korean peninsula," it added.