Russia said Monday it will continue to strengthen ties with North Korea, while declining to confirm South Korea's intelligence report claiming North Korea had sent troops to support Russian forces in Ukraine. On Friday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported the North had decided to send around 12,000 troops to support Russia in the war in Ukraine, with roughly 1,500 soldiers already sent to the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok aboard Russian naval vessels. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters the next day that he cannot confirm the troop deployment, but if true, it would be concerning. "We see a lot of contradictory information: the South Koreans claim one thing, then the Pentagon says they have no confirmation of such statements," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when questioned about the alleged presence of North Korean troops in Russia, according to the Russian news agency TASS. "This is probably how it (such information) should be treated," Pe skov added. The comments marked the Kremlin's first official response since the NIS made the report. Peskov previously dismissed the allegations raised earlier this month as fake news. He also declined to answer when asked whether their participation in the special military operation is planned. "This is a question that concerns the conduct of the special military operation, you should address the Defense Ministry," he said. As for Russia's relations with North Korea, Peskov said: "North Korea is our close neighbor, our partner, and we are developing our relations in all areas. This is our sovereign right." He emphasized that the partnership is not directed against any third country and should therefore not be a cause for concern. Source: Yonhap News Agency