[Exclusive] Zelensky on N. Korean troop deployment and imminent clashes

[Anchor]

Hello everyone?

This is the 9 o'clock news on the last night of October.

We open with an exclusive report.

The deployment of North Korean troops to the Ukraine war is causing significant repercussions on the Korean Peninsula.

KBS attempted to delve deeper into the current situation by conducting on-site coverage in Ukraine and had an exclusive interview with Ukrainian President Zelensky yesterday.

President Zelensky stated that clashes between the Ukrainian military and North Korean troops could occur within days.

First, we have Kim Kyung-jin with the report.

[Report]

After 2 years and 8 months since the war began, President Zelensky is facing a new phase with the 'North Korean troop deployment'.

First, he provided an official stance on the various 'rumors' surrounding the recent deployment of the troops.

Regarding the CNN report that some North Korean troops have crossed the Ukrainian border, he confirmed that it is not true.

[Volodymyr Zelensky/Ukrainian President: "So far, North Korean troops have not participated in combat. They are preparing to participate in combat (in Kursk)."]

He also clarified that recent reports of the Ukrainian military and North's troops engaging in their first skirmish, resulting in North Korean casualties, are not true, but he indicated that clashes will soon become a reality.

["Not yet, but this issue seems likely to occur within days, not months."]

He mentioned that the 3,000 North Korean troops currently training in Russia will soon increase to 12,000, most of whom are special forces, and that negotiations are underway between North Korea and Russia to deploy additional engineering units.

President Zelensky also stated that if the North's troops are captured during combat, they will be treated as 'prisoners of war,' and he firmly stated that there is no possibility of their repatriation to South Korea.

["What is most important to us is to increase the resources for exchanging prisoners (Ukrainians) captured by Russia. Therefore, we are prepared to exchange North Korean military personnel for Ukrainians."]

Regarding the issue of referring Kim Jong-un to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for 'war crimes' following Russian President Putin, he responded, "We will make a decision after North Korean troops use military force against Ukrainian citizens."

This suggests that he may consider the ICC referral card if there are casualties among his own citizens due to the North's troops.

In relation to the speculation that peace negotiations would begin if former President Trump is elected in the U.S. presidential election, he emphasized that while U.S. policy is important, the issue of reclaiming territories such as Donetsk is a 'non-negotiable condition.'

This is KBS News, Kim Kyung-jin.