PARIS: France expressed concern Friday about growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, after South Korean intelligence said the North was deploying many troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

“An increase in North Korean cross-cooperation and military support for the Russian war effort in Ukraine is very worrying,” foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine told reporters.

Earlier Friday Seoul’s spy agency said North Korea had decided to send “large-scale” troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, with 1,500 special forces already in Russia’s Far East and undergoing training.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said the alliance could not as yet confirm South Korea’s intelligence.

North Korean troops in Russia readying for combat in Ukraine war, South Korea says

“If this information were to be confirmed, it would be an extremely worrying and serious development,” said Lemoine.

“We can only call on North Korea and Russia to comply with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,” he added.

North Korea has deployed its first contingent of 1,500 special forces soldiers to the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, and will be sending many more in the near future, South Korea’s intelligence service said.

The transfer of North Korean troops to Russia and their possible deployment in eastern Ukraine shows Moscow wants to escalate its invasion, a senior Ukrainian presidency source told AFP on Friday.