On Wednesday, the 23rd of October, the US announced for the first time that it has evidence that North Korea has sent 3 000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, which could mean a major escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine, with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin saying that it would be “very, very serious” if the North Koreans were going to fight in Ukraine as Kyiv claims, but that it is not yet known what their plan is, reports Reuters.
“There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia,” Austin told reporters in Rome, using North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Later Wednesday, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the US believes at least 3 000 North Korean soldiers are undergoing training at three military bases in eastern Russia.
The US has established that the North Korean soldiers were taken by ship from North Korea’s Wonsan region to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok in early and mid-October and then taken to three military training bases in eastern Russia, Kirby said.
“If they are deployed to fight Ukraine, they will become a fair target,” he said. “They are a fair target and the Ukrainian armed forces will defend themselves against North Korean soldiers in the same way as they defend themselves against Russian soldiers.”
South Korean lawmakers said, citing South Korea’s state intelligence service, that Pyongyang has pledged to provide a total of about 10,000 troops, whose deployment is expected to be completed by December.
The US said the possible deployment of North Korean forces could be further evidence that the Russian armed forces have problems with a lack of forces.
The Kremlin and North Korea had earlier dismissed Seoul’s claims of a North Korean troop deployment as “fake news” and “baseless rumours”.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have also denied arms deliveries, but they are committed to strengthening military ties and signed a mutual defence treaty in June.
NATO allies are consulting on the deployment of North Korean forces in Russia, a NATO spokesman said.
Mike Turner, chairman of the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that US President Joe Biden should allow Kiyv to respond with US weapons if North Korean troops “attack Ukraine from Russian territory”.
A South Korean lawmaker, citing the spy agency, revealed that the North Korean authorities had tried to hide the deployment of their troops in Russia. He said that Russia had recruited interpreters and was training North Korean soldiers to use advanced military equipment such as drones, but that there were still concerns about their lack of understanding of modern warfare, which could lead to high casualties.
The statements come after Seoul’s National Intelligence Service said last Friday that North Korea had sent some 1 500 special forces soldiers to Russia who, after training and acclimatisation, are likely to be sent to fight in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also accused Pyongyang of preparing to send 10 000 troops to Russia, calling on allies to respond to evidence of North Korean involvement in the Russian war.