North Korean troops move towards Ukraine

By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that North Korean troops dressed in Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment are moving into the Kursk region near Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilizing development.

Austin spoke at a news conference in Washington with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, as concerns grow over Pyongyang’s deployment of as many as 11,000 troops to Russia. The US and South Korea say some of the North Korean troops are heading towards Russia’s Kursk region on the border with Ukraine, where Kremlin forces are based. struggled to push back a Ukrainian invasion. A senior Korean official said more than 3,000 of them are believed to have moved into combat zones in western Russia, without specifying the locations.

Some North Korean advance units have already arrived in the Kursk region.

Austin said “the likelihood is quite high” that Russia will use North Korean forces in battle.

He said officials are discussing what to do about the deployment, which he said has the potential to widen or prolong the conflict in Ukraine. Asked whether it could prompt other countries to become more directly involved in the conflict, he acknowledged it could “encourage others to take action,” but gave no details.

Kim said he does not necessarily believe the deployment will trigger a war on the Korean Peninsula, but could increase security threats between the two countries. There is a “high probability” that Pyongyang would request higher technologies in exchange for its troop deployments, such as receiving tactical nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, he said through an interpreter. Both Kim and Austin called on North Korea to withdraw its troops.

North Korea’s move to to strengthen relations with Russia have raised alarms around the world as leaders worry about how this could expand the war in Ukraine and what Russian military aid will be delivered to Pyongyang in return.

“They are doing this because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has lost a lot of troops,” Austin said, adding that Moscow has a choice between mobilizing more of its own troops or turning to others for help. He noted that Russia has already sought military weapons from other countries. This includes North Korea and Iran.

The US estimates there are currently about 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia. However, Seoul and its allies believe the number sent to Russia may be that large increased to 11,000said a senior South Korean presidential official, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a background briefing.