"Victory Will Be Ours": Giant Banner on Russian Embassy Sparks Outrage in Seoul Amid North Korean Troop Controversy

South Korea has formally protested after the Russian Embassy in Seoul displayed a massive banner reading "Victory Will Be Ours" to mark the 4th anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. The diplomatic friction reached a boiling point on Monday, as Seoul described the move as an "illegal" glorification of aggression. The tension is further fueled by Russian Ambassador Georgi Zinoviev’s recent praise for North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region.

With intelligence reports estimating that around 2,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed supporting Russia, Seoul views this military cooperation as a "grave threat to national security." Since the two Koreas remain technically at war, South Korea fears that Moscow’s financial and technological aid to Pyongyang in exchange for troops could permanently destabilize the peninsula.