The U.N. Command Honor Guard takes part in a ceremony on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone, Aug. 18, 2025. (Brendan Trembath/U.N. Command)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — U.N. Command member states must continue to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with South Korea as battle lines drawn in Russia’s war against Ukraine stretch to include North Korea, the French ambassador to South Korea said Tuesday.
The collective security of Europe “is clearly more and more intertwined” with South Korea’s, as evidenced by Pyongyang’s assistance to Moscow in its 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine, Ambassador Philippe Bertoux told Stars and Stripes at U.N. Command headquarters on Humphreys.
Bertoux and ambassadors from 17 other U.N. Command member states visited the base on Tuesday for a briefing on Ulchi Freedom Shield, the 11-day U.S.-South Korean military exercise that kicked off Monday.
“Sadly, we can see it also from the European perspective because of the war … waged by Russia and [North Korea] against Ukraine,” he said. “Therefore, we believe it’s extremely important for members of alliances, such as the [U.N. Command], to stand shoulder to shoulder and defend the key principles that are so important for us.”
Since October, North Korea has deployed approximately 15,000 troops to Russia, according to the South Korean and Ukrainian militaries. The two militaries and the U.S. have also accused North Korea of shipping to Russia thousands of containers filled with artillery shells, ammunition and ballistic missile parts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by phone on Aug. 13 for his country’s assistance, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim reaffirmed Pyongyang’s commitment to Moscow’s security, as outlined in the two leaders’ mutual defense treaty signed in June 2024, KCNA reported.
U.N. Command was established July 24, 1950, after Soviet-backed North Korean troops invaded the South. Led by the United States, 15 other nations contributed combat troops to the command during the three-year war.
France in July 1950 dispatched a transport frigate and an infantry battalion of 3,421 soldiers. Of those, 287 were killed, more than 1,000 were wounded and seven are missing in action, according to the command.
Around 15 French troops remained in South Korea until the 1960s; a contingent of four French troops are still assigned to the organization, according to the command.
U.N. Command is a unique “experiment” that likely cannot be replicated elsewhere; however, it could serve as the blueprint to unite nations during a conflict, Bertoux told Stars and Stripes.
“I think the spirit of [U.N. Command’s] alliance is something that is very inspirational for perhaps other crisis,” he said. “And we really treasure it.”
U.N. Command is now tasked with enforcing the armistice terms signed on July 27, 1953, and providing security at the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas.
Military preparedness in South Korea is important, but diplomacy cannot be neglected in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Australian Ambassador to South Korea Jeff Robinson told reporters at U.N. Command headquarters on Tuesday.
“If conflict ever breaks out, we all lose,” he said. “Diplomacy is one element of national power and influence that plays a role in that objective.”
