US defense chief Austin says there’s evidence North Korea has sent troops to Russia: ‘Very, very serious issue’
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday that there is evidence of North Korean troops arriving in Russia following Seoul’s warning that thousands of forces were being trained by the Kremlin to fight in Ukraine.
Austin said the US was investigating the warning from South Korea, calling it a “very, very serious issue,” that could impact Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.
South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Cho Tae-yong warned that a total of 3,000 North Korean soldiers have entered Russia so far.
The forces are allegedly being trained on how to operate the Kremlin’s drones and military equipment, and are ready to be deployed on the battlefield once the boot camp concludes.
Lawmaker Park Sunwon, who attended a closed-door briefing with Cho, told reporters that North Korea aims to deploy a total of 10,000 troops to Russia by December.
Fellow lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun said the NIS chief’s briefing pointed to Russia’s enthusiasm to use the soldiers to bolster their armies.
Russian trainers, however, allegedly expressed concerns that the North Korean forces will suffer heavy casualties since they lack an understanding of modern warfare, Lee told reporters.
While North Korea touts its military might at 1.2 million soldiers, one of the largest standing armies in the world, it has not fought in a major conflict since the Korean War in the 1950s.
Lee added that Russia is recruiting a large number of interpreters to communicate with the Pyongyang soldiers.
The NIS’s brief also claims that North Korea has yet to disclose the military dispatches to its own people, with only rumors spreading so far on what’s happening from the soldier’s relatives.
South Korean intelligence indicates that Pyongyang has begun relocating and isolating the families of the soldiers, likely in an attempt to stop the news from spreading.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of the impending deployment of North Korean troops in the frontlines for weeks.
Zelensky and his military officials raised alarms over the possibility following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to North Korea over the summer to establish a closer military relationship with Pyongyang.
North Korea has sent more than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and other conventional arms to Russia since August 2023 to replenish the Kremlin’s dwindling supply, according to the NIS.
Seoul fears that if North Korea proves its worth to Russia, the Kremlin might return the favor in kind by providing Pyongyang advanced technology to improve its nuclear and missile programs.
South Korean officials said the nation is now considering supplying weapons directly to Ukraine as a response to North Korean troops in Russia.
With Post wires
