Up to 8,000 North Korean troops are deployed in Kursk, US officials said Thursday. While they have not yet fought, the United States expects they will enter combat “in the coming days.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia had trained these men in trench warfare and drones.
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Senior US officials said on Thursday that thousands of North Korean soldiers have been transferred to the Kursk region on the front line, and are expected to enter combat “in the coming days.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that up to 8,000 North Korean troops had been deployed to battle-stricken Russian territory, where Kiev launched its counterattack this summer.
“We have not yet seen the deployment of these forces to fight against Ukrainian forces, but we expect that to happen in the coming days,” Blinken said in a joint press conference with South Korean officials at the State Department.
He said Russia is training these soldiers to use artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles and infantry operations such as clearing trenches.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin added during the conference that North Korean soldiers were equipped with Russian military uniforms and equipment.
“All of this strongly suggests that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in front-line operations in its preferred war against Ukraine,” Austin said.
“Make no mistake,” he added. He added, “If these North Korean forces participate in combat operations or combat support against Ukraine, they will make themselves legitimate military targets.”
Blinken and Austin’s comments are the clearest statements yet from Washington regarding North Korea’s direct involvement in the war.
The Pentagon said on Monday that Pyongyang had sent at least 10,000 troops to Russia, supporting an earlier estimate by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Video clips of these forces circulated in mid-October appear to show them being trained and provided with new equipment.
Both Austin and Blinken described Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s reliance on 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 forces is because they are desperate,” Blinken said. “Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he is turning toward North Korean forces. This is a clear sign of weakness.”
The new developments come as North Korea and Russia have established closer relations, signing an agreement in June pledging to defend each other if attacked.
South Korea, which has tried to avoid Western sanctions by gearing its economy largely toward military production, in February accused Russia of supplying raw materials and food to North Korea in exchange for weapons.
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Ukrainian forces also said they found North Korean weapons used against them. An analysis by the Conflict Armament Research Group concluded that missiles manufactured by Pyongyang this year were likely already fired in Ukraine.
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, which already has one of the world’s fastest-growing defense industries.
In March 2024, it became the tenth largest arms export market, benefiting from a wave of European countries that boosted their defense spending as the war raged in Ukraine.
Poland, for example, concluded a $22 billion deal in November 2023 to buy weapons from South Korea.
Seoul’s laws prohibit the transfer of offensive weapons that it sells to Ukraine, but it is now considering the option of abolishing this ban given Pyongyang’s new involvement in the war.
This measure will likely need approval from the South Korean Legislative Assembly.
The administration of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yul has considered sending teams to monitor North Korean forces in Ukraine, which it says will not require parliamentary approval. But opposition leaders in Seoul have condemned the course of action as unconstitutional, saying it should be justified by a more pressing threat to South Korea.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment outside normal business hours.
