Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday that North Korea has deployed troops to Russia, as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un have continued to cozy up to each other during the invasion of Ukraine.
South Korea’s spy official told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean troops are now in Russia receiving training on drones and other equipment before being deployed to battlefields in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join the invading Russian forces.
North Korea has 1.2 million troops, one of the largest standing armies in the world, but it hasn’t fought in large-scale conflicts since the 1950-53 Korean War. Experts question how much North Korean troops would help Russia, citing a shortage of battle experiences.
Secretary Austin called the development a “very, very serious issue” if they join the war in Ukraine on Moscow’s side and warning of possible consequences.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday said North Korea sending troops to Ukraine would mark a “significant escalation,” and said he asked South Korea’s president to send experts to Brussels next week to brief the military alliance.
