Most of the North Korean troops sent to Russia are now deployed near the Ukrainian border and are expected to join the fight against Ukraine “in the coming days,” according to top U.S. and South Korean diplomats and military officials.
“We now assess that there are some 10,000 North Korean soldiers in total in Russia, and the most recent information indicates that as many as 8,000 of those North Korean forces have been deployed to the Kursk region,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.
Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin co-hosted South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun in Washington on Thursday to discuss pressing security threats as they closely monitor North Korea's deployment of thousands of troops to Russia.
“Our assessment is that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's forces have trained these North Korean soldiers in artillery operations, UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] operations and basic infantry operations,” Austin said during a joint press conference.
He also noted that Putin has provided the North Korean troops with Russian “uniforms and equipment,” and “all of that strongly indicates that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in front-line operations in its war of choice against Ukraine,” Austin added.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, over half a million Russian troops have been killed or wounded, according to U.S. officials. Facing an estimated 1,200 casualties daily, Russia is now turning to North Korea, a pariah state, to bolster its forces.
While Russia has used foreign volunteers and mercenaries in the Ukraine war, the current deployment marks the first time in 100 years that Russia has invited regular forces of another nation onto its soil. Should these North Korean troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would become legitimate military targets, U.S. officials said.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is in talks with North Korea to deploy a "large number of civilians" to work at Russian weapons production facilities. Zelenskyy said he plans to discuss air defense assistance with South Korea.
Western nations have also expressed concerns about what North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's regime will get in return from Moscow for its troops. North Korea is under international sanctions for its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
No evidence of Russian technology
Earlier Thursday, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in nearly a year, demonstrating a potential advancement in its ability to launch long-range nuclear attacks on the mainland U.S.
It prompted swift condemnation from South Korea, Japan and the United States, which accused Pyongyang of raising tensions and risking the destabilization of regional security.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated through a spokesperson that North Korea's missile launches using ballistic technology violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.
South Korea announced it would impose new sanctions on North Korea, including export controls on materials essential for producing solid-fuel missiles.
“It’s very early in our assessment phase, and we don't see any indication at this point that there was Russian involvement,” said Austin.
Meanwhile, visiting South Korean officials in Washington noted that, although they cannot confirm Russian technical support in North Korea's latest ICBM launch, they remain concerned about the potential transfer of technology and arms from Russia to North Korea.
Through a translator, Foreign Minister Cho told reporters, “We also need to watch what kind of quid pro quo the DPRK will receive from Russia” before deciding on weapons support to Ukraine. “Currently, we're not in a position to share the specifics,” he added.
Cho was referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
The South Korean government indicated it would consider sending “weapons for defense and attack” and may also dispatch military and intelligence personnel to Ukraine to analyze North Korean battlefield tactics and assist in interrogations of captured North Koreans.
U.S. officials said additional security assistance for Ukraine will be announced soon, with continued support from over 50 countries to strengthen Ukraine's defense in the coming months.
China’s silence
Washington and Seoul also urged Beijing to use its influence over Pyongyang to curb North Korea’s provocative activities.
This week, senior U.S. officials engaged in “a robust conversation” with Chinese officials, according to Blinken. He voiced alarm about Russia's possible efforts to strengthen North Korea's military capabilities, which “should be a real concern to China because it's profoundly destabilizing in the region.”
Through a translator, Defense Minister Kim told reporters, “China still continues to be silent,” noting that a clearer assessment is that Beijing is watching and waiting. However, if the situation worsens, China may intervene, either as a mediator or in some other capacity.
“There will be a point where the interests of China will be violated, and it is at that point that China will begin to play a certain role,” Kim added.
Domestic instability
Some experts suggest that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is facing domestic instability. Although he has managed to alleviate some of these issues by securing money and food from Russia through the sale of munitions, his dwindling stockpiles have led him to shift to selling soldiers as a new source of revenue.
"The Russians are running 1,200 casualties a day in their fight in Ukraine," said Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation. "If they use the North Koreans the same way — likely they will — there are going to be massive casualties in the North Korean forces."
"This is a really dire development for the [North Korean] families whose kids have been sent to Ukraine. There could be some real instability that's generated by his action,” Bennett told VOA.
VOA reporter Kim Lewis contributed to this report.
