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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Justin McCurry in Tokyo and Luke Harding in Kyiv

‘Blood alliance’: why South Korea fears North’s involvement in Ukraine war

A man walks past a newspaper displayed on a street for the public in Seoul with coverage on North Korea's decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to Ukraine's front lines
North Korea’s involvement in the Ukraine war has made headlines in the South. Photograph: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

The video is grainy but the message is clear. The clip, posted by NK News, purports to show North Korean soldiers in green fatigues receiving basic supplies at a training base in Russia’s east, ahead of joining Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

News that Pyongyang has sent 3,000 troops to train to fight in the war has horrified Ukraine, the US and Europe. But it has special significance in Seoul – 7,300km from Kyiv – where North Korea is a both an enemy and a nextdoor neighbour.

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