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.
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