North Korean troops stationed in Kursk, ready to go into battle: US

• As many as 8,000 North Korean troops are being deployed to Kursk, US officials said Thursday.
• Although not fighting yet, the US expects to go into battle “in the coming days.”
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia has been training these men in trench warfare and UAVs.

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

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as many as 8,000 North Korean troops were deployed to the battle-torn 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 that to happen in the coming days,” Blinken said in a joint press conference with South Korean officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said Russia has trained these soldiers to use artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles and infantry operations such as trench clearing.

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

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

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

Blinken’s 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, backing up an earlier estimate by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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

Both Austin and Blinken characterized Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s support of Pyongyang for manpower as a sign that Moscow is feeling the weight of its war strategy in Ukraine.

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

The new development comes as North Korea and Russia have forged closer ties and signed an agreement in June promise to defend each other if they are attacked.

Russia, which has tried to stave off Western sanctions by steering its economy heavily toward military production, was accused by South Korea in February of providing raw materials and food to North Korea in exchange for weapons.

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

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

In March 2024, the country was included 10th largest arms export market, riding a wave of European countries increasing their defense spending as the Ukraine war rages.

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

Seoul’s laws prohibit the offensive weapons it sells from being transferred to Ukraine, but it is now considering the possibility of striking down that ban because of Pyongyang’s new involvement in the war.

This measure is likely to be approved by the South Korean legislature.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration has considered sending teams to observe North Korean troops in Ukraine, which it says will not require parliamentary consent. But opposition leaders in Seoul have condemned this approach as unconstitutional, says it must be justified by a more immediate threat to South Korea.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment sent outside business hours by Business Insider.