U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke at a joint press conference following the 6th ROK-U.S. Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting (2+2 Meeting) held at the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C. / Yonhap News
During the press conference, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that approximately 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s front-line Kursk region and are likely to enter combat soon.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also noted, “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. We’ve not seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we expect that to happen in the coming days.”
He stated, “Russia has been training North Korean troops in artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles, and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that Moscow fully intends to use the soldiers in front line operations.”
“Should these troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would become legitimate military targets,” Austin added.
Both the U.S. State Department and Department of Defense highlighted that this is the first time in a century that Russia has allowed foreign troops into its territory, interpreting it as a sign of military weakness.
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