South Korea is considering supplying “offensive” weapons to Ukraine in response to the strengthening of military ties between North Korea and Russia, officials said Tuesday.

The move marks the strongest indication yet that South Korean and North Korean forces could find themselves in direct conflict on Ukrainian soil if the situation were to escalate.

It comes after Seoul summoned Moscow’s ambassador following intelligence reports that North Korea sent a force of 1,500 special forces to Russia this month to join the war in Ukraine.

A senior official from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said South Korea is preparing the possibility of supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine in response to military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

“We are considering delivering defensive weapons as part of a phased approach, and if necessary, we may also consider offensive measures,” the official told reporters.

South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) said in a statement: “Our government called for an immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops, and if the current military collusion between North Korea and Russia continues, we will not sit idle and will we work together with the international community.

South Korea is considering sending a team of personnel to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops deployed to support Russia, a government source told Yonhap news agency.

This would mark a significant escalation of North Korea’s involvement in the war on behalf of its ally Russia.

Should the move happen, it would mark a major policy change for Seoul, which has historically refrained from sending weapons to countries involved in active conflicts.

The discussions were prompted by the signing of a mutual defense pact between North Korea and Russia, raising concerns about the possibility of direct military clashes involving South Korean forces.

It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea of ​​being “involved in the war” with Ukraine and said the East Asian state is preparing tens of thousands of soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“What we know is that North Korea is already preparing a contingent to fight against Ukraine,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Belgium earlier this month.

South Korea is under pressure from Western allies to supply weapons to Kiev, but has only provided Ukraine with non-lethal supplies such as gas masks, field rations and emergency aid packages.

Russia has turned to its coalition of allies Iran, China and North Korea for resources across Ukraine as the country faces a barrage of sanctions from Kiev’s Western partners.

South Korean intelligence services have released satellite images of North Korean troops boarding Russian ships and being transported from China to Vladivostok in eastern Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang in June to hold bilateral talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, where they signed a partnership agreement.

It said the “other party will promptly provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal.”

The two leaders held talks before signing the treaty, which pledged to provide each other with military assistance if either were attacked.