SOUTH Korea demanded today that North Korea immediately pull out its troops allegedly deployed in Russia, as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest against deepening military co-operation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

South Korea’s spy agency said on Friday it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korean soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces.