The United States said for the first time that it had seen evidence that North Korea had sent 3,000 troops to Russia in preparation for a possible deployment to Ukraine, a move that could signal a significant escalation of Russia's war against its neighbor. There is sex.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said it would be “very serious” if North Korea were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Kiev claims. But what they will do there remains to be seen, he said.
“There is evidence that there is a North Korean military in Russia,” Austin told reporters Wednesday, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
White House Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters late Wednesday that the United States believes at least 3,000 North Korean troops are being trained in Russia.
Kirby said the U.S. determined that the North Korean soldiers were transferred by ship from North Korea's Wonsan region to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok in early to mid-October, and then taken to three military training sites in eastern Russia. .
“If they deploy to fight Ukraine, they will have a fair fight,” he said. “They are a legitimate target, and the Ukrainian military will protect itself from North Korean soldiers just as it would protect itself from Russian soldiers.”
In Seoul, after receiving briefings from the South Korean national intelligence agency, South Korean National Assembly members told reporters that North Korea has promised to provide a total of approximately 10,000 troops, with deployment expected to be completed by December. He said he plans to do so.
The 3,000 figure is double previous estimates of the number of North Korean troops already in Russia.
After the press conference, Park Sung-won, a member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, said, “In September and October, signs of military training inside North Korea were confirmed.'' The force is currently spread across multiple training facilities in Russia and appears to be adapting to the local environment. ”
Austin said the alleged deployment to North Korea is further evidence of the Russian military's manpower problems after a war of attrition that has resulted in massive casualties on both sides. He said it was possible.
The Kremlin has previously dismissed South Korea's claims about North Korea's troop dispatch as “fake news,” and North Korea's representative to the United Nations called it “baseless rumors” at a meeting in New York on Monday.
Moscow and North Korea also deny arms transfers, but have pledged to strengthen military ties and signed a mutual defense treaty at their June summit.
Last Friday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service announced that North Korea is sending 1,500 special forces personnel by ship to Russia, where they will likely be sent to fight in the Ukraine war after training and acclimatization.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also accused North Korea of preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to Russia. On Tuesday, he called on allies to respond to evidence of North Korean involvement in the Russia war.
Lee Sung-geun, a lawmaker on the Korea Committee, said North Korean authorities have tried to prevent news of the deployment from spreading. “There are also signs that North Korean authorities are relocating and isolating these families.” [of the troops] They stayed in specific locations to effectively manage them and thoroughly crack down on rumors,” Lee said, citing the Spy Agency.
Lee also said officials have confirmed that Russia has employed “a large number” of interpreters in training North Korean soldiers how to use military equipment such as drones.
“Russian instructors assess that although the North Korean military has excellent physical capabilities and morale, they lack an understanding of modern warfare such as drone attacks,” he said. “Therefore, if they are sent to the front lines, there could be a lot of casualties.”
More than 600,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the Ukraine war, U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity.
Austin said the North Korean deployment could indicate a lack of recruits in Russia. “This is him. [Vladimir Putin] “The situation may be even more difficult than most people realize,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Southern Presidential Office urged the immediate withdrawal of northern troops from Russia and warned that it may consider providing lethal weapons to Ukraine if military ties between the two countries go too far.
