The Pentagon said an estimated 10,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to Russia to train, possibly to fight, against Ukraine, up from an earlier estimate of 3,000 soldiers. The dramatic increase in the number has further fueled concerns that Pyongyang’s military involvement in the conflict in Ukraine might escalate.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said some of these North Korean troops have already moved closer to the Ukrainian border, particularly in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. “We are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces,” Singh said in a press briefing.
The president of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, showed concern about the deployment, referring to it as a threat to national security and international stability. He called the military collaboration between Russia and North Korea “illegal.”.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte characterized the deployment of North Korean troops as “a significant escalation” in the conflict, warning that it reflected a dangerous expansion in Russian military activity. He made clear that the expanding military links between Russia and North Korea threaten the security of the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic.
While an official from North Korea would not confirm the troop dispatch, he implied that if the deployments had taken place, they would have conformed to international standards. At first, Moscow branded the news of North Korean involvement as “fake news.”
On Tuesday, however, President Vladimir Putin confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia, describing it as an internal matter regarding the implementation of a partnership treaty with Pyongyang.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are scheduled to meet with their South Korean counterparts later this week to discuss the implications of North Korea’s involvement in Ukraine. Singh added that if North Korean troops were seen to be moving toward the front lines, they would be considered co-belligerents, and there would be no restrictions on the use of U.S.-provided weapons against them.
With the optics of an escalating crisis, President Yoon called for a full deliberation of options against North Korean military assistance to Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that allies reacted late and again pressed for dropping constraints on Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities, including against Russia. Thus far, however, the U.S. has given no signal it intends to sign off on Ukraine’s requests for permission to strike deeper inside Russia.
