Already, the rumors are severely hurting his approval ratings and providing political munition to his political rivals.

Major arms exporter South Korea is not ruling out providing weapons directly to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday, signalling a possible shift in Seoul's stance on the issue. Yoon also revealed he had discussed North Korea with US president-elect Donald Trump in a phone conversation that laid the groundwork for a meeting in the "near

North Korean troops in Russia engage in combat with Ukraine; integration into Russian military units anticipated.