EU pushes for sanctions on North Korean personnel over 'sending troops to Russia'

The European Union and the EU have decided to put a high-ranking North Korean defense official involved in the process of sending troops to Russia on the sanctions list.

According to Bloomberg News on the 25th local time, the EU Commission drafted a need for such additional measures in relation to Russian sanctions, which have been tightened since the war in Ukraine.

No specific list has been released, but military officials who have played various roles in the deployment of about 11,000 North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk region are expected to be subject to sanctions.

If the draft is confirmed through the consent process of 27 EU member states, it will be the first case of international sanctions related to the dispatch of North Korean troops.

Earlier in February, the EU added then-North Korean Defense Minister Kang Soon-nam and the North Korean Missile Directorate to the sanctions list in connection with Russian missile support.

The EU has defined Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a violation of the UN Charter, which guarantees the territorial integrity of sovereign states, and has imposed its own sanctions.

At the same time, the G7 foreign ministers of seven major countries are also pushing for an official statement condemning the dispatch of North Korean troops.

The G7 will define the deployment of the North Korean military as a "dangerous extension of conflict," according to a draft statement prepared at a meeting of foreign ministers currently underway in Italy.

It is also expected to express concerns about Russia's possible transfer of nuclear technology to North Korea.

At the same time, the G7 will declare in its official statement that it will take "appropriate action" against countries such as China supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Additional measures will also be put in place to block profits from Russian energy, metals and other commodities, in particular.