United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday that North Korean troops, seen wearing Russian uniforms and equipped with Russian gear, are advancing to Russia’s Kursk region near Ukraine. He described this development as “dangerous and destabilising.”
Austin spoke at a press conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, amid increasing concerns that North Korea may have deployed up to 11,000 troops to Russia. Officials are now evaluating possible responses to this deployment.
The US is particularly concerned that Russia might engage these North Korean troops in combat, although “whether they will be employed in the fight is yet to be seen,” Austin added.
Defense Minister Kim commented that he does not necessarily believe the deployment will incite war on the Korean peninsula but acknowledged that it could heighten security tensions between South Korea and North Korea.
There is a “high possibility” that Pyongyang might demand advanced technologies, potentially in nuclear or ballistic missile systems, in return for the troop support, he said through an interpreter.
According to a senior South Korean presidential official, who provided insights during a background briefing on the condition of anonymity, Seoul and its allies now estimate that 11,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia.
Over 3,000 of these troops are believed to be moving closer to combat zones in western Russia, though specific locations remain undisclosed. Some of these advanced units are already reported to have reached Kursk, a region where Ukraine has managed to maintain control following a successful counter-incursion in August.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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