...
By Micah McCartney and Barney Henderson
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is expecting clashes between North Korean and Ukrainian troops within days.
In an interview with the Korean Broadcasting System, the national broadcaster of South Korea, Zelensky shot down recent reports that a small number of North Korean troops had crossed into Ukraine. He added: "So far, North Korean troops have not participated in battles. They are preparing to participate in battles [in Kursk]."
The U.S. Department of Defense believes North Korea has dispatched some 10,000 troops to Russia so far. Most are still training in the eastern part of the country.
Read More on News
Spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said Tuesday that a "relatively small number" have arrived in the border region of Kursk, where Russian forces are grappling with Ukrainian counteroffensives. The Pentagon press secretary added that additional thousands are en route to the area.
...
Zelensky added that he had recently discussed the matter with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, alerting him that some 3,000 North Korean troops are already stationed near the Ukrainian front line and that this figure could soon surge to 12,000.
The Ukrainian leader said captured North Koreans will be treated as prisoners of war and ruled out the possibility they would be repatriated to South Korea.
"The most important thing for us is to increase the resources that we will exchange for (Ukrainian) prisoners of war captured by Russia," Zelensky added. "Therefore, we are ready to exchange even North Korean military personnel with Ukrainians."
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in China and Russian Foreign Ministry with emailed requests for comment.
The U.S. and its allies have expressed concern over the North Korean troop deployments, raising concerns that Pyongyang's deepening involvement in a European war could disrupt stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Following talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Wednesday, South Korean Defense Chief Kim Yong-hyun told reporters that North Korea's joining the conflict could raise the security threat posed by Pyongyang.
"This is because there is a high possibility that North Korea, in exchange for their troops deployment, would ask for cutting-edge technology transfer," Kim said. He added that this could include tech for the North's United Nations-sanctioned intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons programs, ballistic missile submarines, and surveillance satellites.
Austin said that the troop transfers violate U.N. security agreements. "We're going to continue to watch it and continue to work with our allies and partners to discourage Russia from employing these troops in combat."
Moscow and Pyongyang have not yet acknowledged but are not denying outright there are North Korean boots on the ground. State media last week quoted North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong Gyu as saying: "if there was such a thing … I think it will be an act conforming with the regulations of international law."
In a testy exchange at the U.N. on Wednesday, Pyongyang's envoy called the United States, South Korea, and others "culprits" that threaten peace and global security.
Robert Wood, U.S. deputy U.N. ambassador, said North Korean troops "will surely return in body bags" if they join the fighting.
South Korea's top diplomat to the body called the soldiers "mere cannon fodder." "It is tragic that they could have enjoyed a far better life only if they were born south of the DMZ [Demilitarized Zone]," he added.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines