Zelenskyy claims Russia shared jet-powered drone technology with North Korea

(Istanbul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Dong-ho = Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on the 4th (local time) that Russia appears to have shared jet propulsion drone technology with North Korea.

According to Reuters, President Zelenskyy was asked by reporters about the possibility that Russia had transferred jet propulsion drone technology to North Korea, and he responded, "Yes, of course."

“They share all technology with North Korea,” he said. “I don’t know for sure what technology (including ballistic missiles) was shared, but I think so, and that’s because North Korea helped them with missiles.”

Regarding the recent controversy that arose when he disclosed that North Korean soldiers in Ukraine had been repatriated to South Korea, President Zelensky added, "South Korea has requested that the North Korean soldiers be handed over," adding, "According to the South Korean constitution, they are also Koreans."

However, President Zelenskyy did not directly mention the fact that South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung protested that Ukraine had violated the non-disclosure agreement on the repatriation of prisoners, Reuters explained.

Ukrainian media outlets, including Suspilne Broadcasting, reported President Zelenskyy's questions and answers in this regard in more detail.

According to this media outlet, President Zelenskyy pointed out regarding the North Korean prisoners captured by the Ukrainian military, "When we captured them, we received different information than before. They were not the North Korean soldiers who initially arrived in Russia."

President Zelensky said, "They shared their experiences and received training," and emphasized, "This includes not only drone operation but also how to respond to electronic warfare systems, and acquiring such practical knowledge and combat experience is very dangerous."

President Zelenskyy said that he shared information about the North Korean military with Japan and claimed, "Japan is a great country with excellent technology, but it lacks experience in conducting modern warfare, which is a very dangerous factor."

President Zelensky said, "If Russia trains 50,000 (North Korean soldiers) to fight, that means knowledge will be shared with hundreds of thousands of North Korean soldiers. Cooperation (between Ukraine and Japan) is very important in this regard, and I think it serves the interests of both sides."