(Yonhap Interview) EU official warns 'structural' N. Korea-Russia ties likely to continue beyond Ukraine war（韩联社专访）欧盟官员警告称，朝鲜与俄罗斯的“结构性”联系可能在乌克兰战争结束后继续存在。
SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and Russia are likely to continue militar...
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SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and Russia are likely to continue military cooperation even after the war in Ukraine ends, a senior European Union (EU) official has warned, describing their ties as a "structural relationship."
Cosmin Dobran, director for peace, partnerships and crisis management at the European External Action Service (EEAS), made the remarks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue.
"What is happening between Russia and North Korea is quite worrying, and it is clear that this is not only one action or two actions, but this is something that is much more structural," Dobran said. "I think the treaty that they agreed goes beyond this war."
In June 2024, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, under which North Korea has deployed troops and provided conventional weapons to support Russia's war with Ukraine.
Cosmin Dobran, director for peace, partnerships and crisis management at the European External Action Service (EEAS), speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Sept. 8, 2026. (Yonhap)
Dobran said the deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow could "embolden North Korea to do more negative actions," including further missile launches.
Asked about the possibility of North Korea sending additional troops to Russia, Dobran said there are "signs" that the presence of North Korean troops could increase as the Russia-Ukraine war continues, though he did not elaborate.
"There were North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukraine. That's a fact that nobody can deny," he said. "If you follow this pattern, I think everybody can expect that similar actions can happen."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in July that North Korea had decided to send an additional 30,000 troops to Russia, while Pyongyang has flatly denied the claim.
According to South Korean military authorities, Pyongyang continues to prepare for a possible additional deployment, though there are currently no signs that another deployment is imminent.
South Korean authorities estimate that North Korea has sent more than 16,000 troops to Russia since 2024, with many believed to have suffered casualties.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) chats with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. They were in the Chinese capital to attend a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender and the end of World War II. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
"One of the tools that the European Union uses is sanctions," Dobran said. "There are already a number of sanctions packages that were approved, but we are now in the preparation for the next sanctions."
The official said sanctions have "absolutely" had an impact, citing EU and Group of Seven (G7) measures targeting Russia's so-called shadow fleet as an example of how sanctions have affected Russia's ability to wage the war against Ukraine.
Dobran also stressed the importance of closer security cooperation between South Korea and the EU.
"Obviously, there is the transfer of technology, and now we have North Korean soldiers in Europe, which is quite a negative development. It shows that security in the Indo-Pacific and Europe are quite interlinked," the director said.
Dobran said the EU is closely exchanging information with South Korea on North Korea-Russia cooperation and that the pace of such exchanges should be increased while stressing the need for like-minded countries "to stick together" and come up with "concrete ideas" to address growing insecurity.
South Korea and the EU have already begun negotiations on a bilateral information security pact, Dobran said, expressing hope for tangible results "before the end of this year," though he acknowledged there is no fixed timetable.
During a June summit in Brussels, President Lee Jae Myung, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa agreed to launch negotiations on the pact, which is expected to facilitate the safe exchange of sensitive information and support cooperation in defense, industry and research.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un places a flower at the grave for a soldier killed in action as he attends a ceremony for the dedication of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations, which honors its troops who died while fighting alongside Russia in the war with Ukraine, in Pyongyang on April 26, 2026, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. In the opening ceremony timed with the first anniversary of the "liberation" of the Kursk region from Ukraine forces, Kim stressed the need to strengthen Pyongyang-Moscow ties into a "powerful bulwark." (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Speaking of tensions in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz, the director stressed that the key issue is protecting freedom of navigation and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, which sets out the international legal framework governing maritime navigation.
"We need to make sure that there are no taxes, no fees, no special arrangements when it comes to the free passage of vessels that carry oil from that region," Dobran said.
The EU supports a Britain- and France-led "coalition of the willing" and plans to seek broader support from U.N. member states at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly to ensure free passage through the strategic waterway and the protection of international maritime law.
Dobran said it was up to South Korea to decide whether to participate militarily in efforts to protect navigation in the region.
"What is important is to join forces when it comes to freedom of navigation and protecting UNCLOS," he said. "If there are means for you to support what we are trying to do there, this is more than welcome."
The South Korean government has said it is reviewing various options for contributing to international efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, including the possible deployment of noncombat military assets.
President Lee Jae Myung (C) poses for a photo with Ursula von der Leyen (R), president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, during their summit in Brussels on June 10, 2026. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)
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首尔，9月9日（韩联社）——一位欧盟高级官员警告称，即使乌克兰战争结束，朝鲜和俄罗斯也可能继续进行军事合作，并将两国关系描述为“结构性关系”。
欧洲对外行动署（EEAS）和平、伙伴关系和危机管理主任科斯明·多布兰周二在首尔国防对话期间接受韩联社采访时发表了上述言论。
“俄罗斯和朝鲜之间正在发生的事情令人担忧，显然这不仅仅是一两次行动，而是更深层次的结构性问题，”多布兰说。“我认为他们达成的条约意义远不止于这场战争。”
2024年6月，朝鲜领导人金正恩和俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京签署了全面战略伙伴关系条约，根据该条约，朝鲜向俄罗斯部署军队并提供常规武器，以支持俄罗斯与乌克兰的战争。
2026年9月8日，欧洲对外行动署（EEAS）和平、伙伴关系和危机管理主任科斯明·多布兰在首尔接受韩联社采访时发表讲话。（韩联社）
多布兰表示，平壤和莫斯科之间日益密切的关系可能会“助长朝鲜采取更多负面行动”，包括进一步的导弹发射。
当被问及朝鲜是否有可能向俄罗斯增派军队时，多布兰表示，有“迹象”表明，随着俄乌战争的持续，朝鲜军队的存在可能会增加，但他没有详细说明。
“朝鲜士兵确实在与乌克兰作战。这是不容否认的事实，”他说。“如果按照这种模式发展下去，我认为每个人都可以预料到类似的行动会发生。”
乌克兰总统泽连斯基在7月份表示，朝鲜已决定向俄罗斯增派3万名士兵，但平壤方面断然否认了这一说法。
据韩国军方称，平壤仍在为可能进行的额外部署做准备，但目前没有任何迹象表明即将进行另一次部署。
韩国当局估计，自 2024 年以来，朝鲜已向俄罗斯派遣了超过 16000 名士兵，其中许多人据信遭受了伤亡。
2025年9月3日，朝鲜领导人金正恩（右）在北京与俄罗斯总统普京交谈。这张照片由朝鲜官方通讯社朝中社于次日发布。他们当时正在中国首都北京出席纪念日本投降80周年暨二战结束的阅兵式。（仅限韩国境内使用，禁止转载）（韩联社）
多布兰表示：“欧盟使用的手段之一就是制裁。目前已经批准了一系列制裁方案，但我们正在准备下一轮制裁。”
这位官员表示，制裁“绝对”产生了影响，并以欧盟和七国集团（G7）针对俄罗斯所谓“影子舰队”的措施为例，说明制裁如何影响了俄罗斯对乌克兰发动战争的能力。
多布兰还强调了韩国与欧盟加强安全合作的重要性。
“很显然，存在技术转让，现在朝鲜士兵出现在欧洲，这是一个相当负面的事态发展。这表明印太地区和欧洲的安全是密切相关的，”该主任说道。
多布兰表示，欧盟正与韩国就朝俄合作密切交换信息，并强调应加快此类交流的步伐，同时强调志同道合的国家需要“团结一致”，提出“具体想法”来应对日益加剧的不安全局势。
多布兰表示，韩国和欧盟已经开始就双边信息安全协议进行谈判，并希望“在今年年底前”取得切实成果，但他承认目前还没有固定的时间表。
在 6 月于布鲁塞尔举行的峰会上，李在明总统、欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩和欧洲理事会主席安东尼奥·科斯塔同意启动关于该协议的谈判，该协议有望促进敏感信息的安全交换，并支持国防、工业和研究领域的合作。
2026年4月26日，朝鲜领导人金正恩在平壤出席海外军事行动战斗功绩纪念馆落成典礼，向一名阵亡士兵的墓碑敬献鲜花。该纪念馆旨在纪念在乌克兰战争中与俄罗斯并肩作战而牺牲的朝鲜官兵。这张照片由朝鲜官方通讯社朝中社于次日发布。在纪念馆落成典礼上，正值朝鲜从乌克兰军队手中“解放”库尔斯克地区一周年之际，金正恩强调需要将平壤与莫斯科的关系加强为“强大的堡垒”。（仅限韩国境内使用，禁止转载）（韩联社）
谈到中东和霍尔木兹海峡的紧张局势时，该主任强调，关键问题是保护航行自由和《联合国海洋法公约》（简称《联合国海洋法公约》），该公约规定了规范海上航行的国际法律框架。
“我们需要确保从该地区运送石油的船只自由通行时，不会有任何税收、费用或特殊安排，”多布兰说。
欧盟支持由英国和法国领导的“自愿联盟”，并计划在即将召开的联合国大会上寻求联合国成员国的更广泛支持，以确保通过这条战略水道的自由通行以及国际海洋法的保护。
多布兰表示，是否以军事手段参与保护该地区航行安全的努力，由韩国自行决定。
他说：“在航行自由和保护《联合国海洋法公约》方面，重要的是携手合作。如果你们能够以某种方式支持我们在这方面所做的工作，我们非常欢迎。”
韩国政府表示，正在研究各种方案，以协助国际社会确保霍尔木兹海峡的安全，包括可能部署非战斗军事力量。
2026年6月10日，韩国总统李在明（中）在布鲁塞尔举行的峰会上与欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩（右）和欧洲理事会主席安东尼奥·科斯塔合影。（韩联社）
graceoh@yna.co.kr (完)
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