Pentagon says N. Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine within 'next several weeks': AP

▲ This Oct. 18, 2024, footage posted on X by the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine shows what appears to be North Korean soldiers receiving apparent Russian gear. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

N Korea-troop deployment

Pentagon says N. Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine within 'next several weeks': AP

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has sent some 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine within the "next several weeks," the Associated Press reported Monday, citing a Pentagon spokesperson.

Pentagon's deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh made the remarks, noting that some of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine.

The report came after North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's western front-line Kursk region.

"We are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk" region, she was quoted by the Associated Press as telling reporters.

South Korea's National Intelligence Agency (NIS) has said that North Korea was expected to send a total of 10,000 troops to Russia by the end of this year, including some 3,000 already dispatched to eastern Russia.

First NIS Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, who led a South Korean delegation in Brussels, said Monday that North Korea's deployment of units to Kursk is happening more rapidly than previously anticipated.

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