North Korean troops stationed in Kursk, ready for combat: USA

• Up to 8,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in Kursk, US officials said on Thursday.
• Although it is not yet fighting, the US expects to enter combat “in the coming days.”
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia trained these men in trench warfare and UAVs.

Thousands of North Korean troops have been moved to the front-line Kursk region and are expected to go into combat “in the coming days,” senior U.S. officials said Thursday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said up to 8,000 North Korean troops were stationed in fighting-hit Russian territory, where Kiev launched its counteroffensive this summer.

“We have not yet seen these troops deployed in combat against Ukrainian forces, but we expect this to happen in the coming days,” Blinken said in a joint news conference with South Korean officials at the State Department.

He said Russia trained these soldiers in artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles and infantry operations such as clearing trenches.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin added at the conference that North Korean soldiers would be equipped with Russian uniforms and equipment.

“All of this strongly suggests that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in frontline operations in its dream war against Ukraine,” Austin said.

“Make no mistake,” he added. “If these North Korean troops participate in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would make themselves legitimate military targets.”

Blinken and Austin's comments are the clearest statements yet from Washington about North Korea's direct involvement in the war.

The Pentagon said Monday that Pyongyang had sent a total of at least 10,000 troops to Russia, confirming an earlier estimate by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Videos of these troops circulating in mid-October appeared to show them training and being equipped with new equipment.

Both Austin and Blinken described Russian leader Vladimir Putin's dependence on Pyongyang as a sign that Moscow is feeling the burden of its war strategy in Ukraine.

“One of the reasons Russia is turning to these North Korean troops is because they are desperate,” Blinken said. “Putin has thrown more and more Russians into his own meat grinder in Ukraine. Now he is turning to the North Korean troops. And that is a clear sign of weakness.”

The new developments come as North Korea and Russia have forged closer ties, signing an agreement in June pledging to defend each other if attacked.

Russia, which has sought to fend off Western sanctions by reorienting its economy heavily toward the production of military goods, was accused by South Korea in February of supplying raw materials and food to North Korea in exchange for weapons.

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Ukrainian troops also said they found North Korean weapons used against them. An analysis by the group Conflict Armament Research found that Pyongyang-made missiles have likely already been fired in Ukraine this year.

Such reports about North Korea's relationship with Russia and its involvement in the war have raised questions about the response in the coming weeks from South Korea, already one of the world's fastest-growing defense industries.

In March 2024, it became the country with the 10th largest arms export market, following a wave of European countries that increased defense spending as the Ukraine war raged.

Poland, for example, concluded a $22 billion deal to buy weapons from South Korea in November 2023.

Seoul's laws prohibit the transfer of offensive weapons sold by Seoul to Ukraine, but given Pyongyang's new involvement in the war, the country is now considering lifting that ban.

This measure will likely need to be approved by the South Korean Legislative Assembly.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's government has considered sending teams to monitor North Korean troops in Ukraine, which it says does not require parliamentary approval. But opposition leaders in Seoul have condemned the move as unconstitutional, saying it must be justified by a more immediate threat to South Korea.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment outside of regular business hours.