The South Korean presidential office believes that the mutiny by the Wagner private military corporation (Wagner PMC) in Russia and its aftermath have affected Seoul's interests, Yonhap reported on June 28.
“We cannot think that the Wagner incident is completely over. We are analyzing the impact of this incident,” said a senior official in the Presidential Office Yoon Suk Yeol.
“It is an event that affects our national interests,” another official said, cautioning that the mutiny should not be viewed as a “small event” that emerged out of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
A South Korean diplomat said on June 27 that it was too early to assess whether the coup would affect “North Korea’s arms supply to Russia” – a transaction the US said was ongoing. The diplomat reiterated that the South Korean government was monitoring the situation.
Last December, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House National Security Council, claimed that North Korea had shipped weapons to the Wagner group.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the allegations. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed claims by US officials about North Korean artillery shipments to Russia, saying they were “false from start to finish.”
Members of the Wagner group prepare to withdraw from the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don to return to their base, late on June 24, 2023. Photo: CNN
On the evening of June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner PMC, reported on his Telegram channel that Wagner units had been attacked, accusing the Russian top leadership of complicity in the situation. The Russian Defense Ministry has denied the accusations, calling the information fake.
Wagner fighters led by Prigozhin seized the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don and continued toward the capital, Moscow. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a criminal case over the call for an armed uprising. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Wagner's actions a betrayal in a televised address.
Later, in agreement with Mr Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had a phone call with Mr Prigozhin and the two sides reached an agreement under which the Wagner fighters withdrew to their bases. The FSB said criminal charges had been dropped against Mr Prigozhin and the Wagner fighters involved in the rebellion.
The Wagner tycoon, confirmed by Mr Lukashenko, is currently in Belarus. As for other members of Wagner, President Putin has given them a choice, including signing contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry or other security agencies, returning home, or moving to neighboring Belarus .
Minh Duc (According to TASS, Yonhap)
Source
Comment (0)