South Korea's Yoon says North Korean troops' Ukraine war deployment may come sooner than expected

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Monday that the actual deployment of North Korean troops to the front lines of the war in Ukraine may come sooner than expected.

Yoon's remarks came in a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Yoon's office said.

Yoon shared information on North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia, saying the troops' actual deployment to Ukraine was a severe situation that could take place faster than expected.

Yoon said South Korea hopes to seek "practical countermeasures" with the EU and member states, and will redouble efforts to monitor and block "illegal exchanges" between Russia and North Korea.

North Korean troops being sent is a "critical issue that exacerbates the already prolonged war in Ukraine," von der Leyen said according to Yoon's office, and thanked South Korea for its decision to send a government delegation to the EU to share information.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on Monday that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Toby Chopra)