North Korean troops are reportedly in Russian hands amid growing fears | Russia-Ukraine war News
The combat role of Pyongyang’s military risks the entry of a third country into the war caused by Moscow’s attack in 2022.
Thousands of North Korean troops are now based in Russia ready to support its military operations in Ukraine, including the key Kursk region, South Korea reports.
More than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The report follows similar announcements from Ukraine and the United States, as there are fears that Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to the battlefield could signal an escalation of the war to include a third country.
“There are more than 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia right now, and we are looking at the fact that most of them have been deployed in key areas, including Kursk,” spokesman Jeon Ha-kyou told the briefing.
These comments came hours after the US Pentagon said at least 10,000 North Korean troops were in Kursk. Ukrainian forces have taken control of parts of the border region following an offensive launched in August.
Ukraine’s intelligence service said that approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals, are from Russia, where they will be trained on the battlefield.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the social network to answer the Western allies.
Today, we discussed the Kursk operation with our military leadership, which marks almost three months of active operations in the Kursk region. This is an important task—we maintain this “buffer zone” in designated areas near our state border.
We must also recognize the importance of… pic.twitter.com/o8vZQoSCoL
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) November 4, 2024
“Right now there are eleven thousand [North Korean military personnel] working in the Kursk region,” he wrote. “We are seeing an increase in North Korean troops, but, unfortunately, we are not seeing an increase in response from our allies.”
A legitimate target
Officials in Kyiv and the West have warned that North Korean troops could be deployed on the battlefield against Ukraine in the near future. United Nations politicians have expressed hope that they could instead be placed behind the front lines and restricted to transport and other non-combat duties.
The US warned on Monday that Pyongyang’s military would be legitimate targets if it entered the battlefield.
“All indications are that they will provide some form of countermeasures or countermeasures,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said. “We can fully expect that the people of Ukraine will do what they need to do to protect themselves and their workers.”
Seoul spokesman Jeon said he could not confirm whether the North Korean military is still engaged in the war. South Korean media reported that approximately 40 North Korean soldiers were killed on the battlefield.
Officials in Kyiv said on Monday that North Korean troops had been routed by Ukrainian troops from the battlefield.
“The first troops from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have already been attacked in the Kursk region”, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Counting Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, wrote in Telegram.
‘offensive’
Pyongyang’s supply of weapons and troops to Russia has also raised eyebrows about what Moscow might do for Kim.
Meeting in Seoul on Monday, South Korean Foreign and Trade Minister Cho Tae-yul and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expressed “deep concern” about the possible transfer of Russian nuclear or ballistic missile technology to North Korea.
Seemingly timed for the start of the US presidential election, Pyongyang launched a series of ballistic missiles into the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said shortly afterwards that the missile test was a response to US “provocation” and a necessary security measure.
