The bloc could deepen its involvement in Asia if Beijing fails to curb North Korea’s role in the Ukraine conflict, the French president has warned
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday, urged China to prevent its ally, North Korea, from deploying troops on “European soil” if it hopes to prevent an expanded NATO presence in Asia.
In April, Pyongyang admitted that its troops were assisting Moscow in liberating Kursk Region, which was invaded by Ukrainian forces last August but has since been reclaimed by Russia.
That month, Russian General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin that North Korean troops had demonstrated “high professionalism, courage, and heroism” in the operation. During Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations, Putin publicly thanked them for their defense of Kursk Region.
“But what’s happening with North Korea being present alongside Russia on European soil is a big question for all of us,” Macron said. “If China doesn’t want NATO being involved in Southeast Asia, they should clearly prevent the DPRK from being engaged on European soil,” he added.
Macron also reflected on his past stance, stating, “l had objected to NATO having any role in Asia because, for me, ‘N’ is for North Atlantic, and I don’t believe in being enrolled in someone else’s strategic rivalry.”
France’s resistance to the bloc’s Asian expansion was evident when it led efforts to reject a proposed NATO office in Tokyo in 2023, with media reports citing Macron’s vocal opposition.
At the time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hinted at opening the office in response to growing military ties between China and Russia, underscored by their joint patrols over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, which had prompted South Korea and Japan to scramble fighter jets.
Last year, US President Joe Biden and other Western leaders urged Beijing to rein in Pyongyang’s deepening military ties with Moscow, highlighting concerns regarding North Korea’s growing involvement.
The US and South Korea condemned North Korea’s admission of its role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “With their public admission of the deployment, while claiming they are fully in accordance with international law, they are once again mocking the international community,” Seoul’s foreign ministry said, according to Yonhap News Agency.
A US State Department spokesperson, citing Reuters, noted that Moscow’s training of North Korean soldiers violates UN Security Council resolutions, and urged both nations to cease their unlawful cooperation.
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