North Korean soldiers reached Russia, we have proof… US Defense Minister’s claim stirs up commotion, will the Ukraine war lead to World War III?
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that there is evidence that North Korea has sent its troops to Russia. On the other hand, South Korea’s intelligence chief told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, who are being trained to operate drones and other equipment before being deployed in the battlefields of Ukraine. According to a video posted by the ‘Washington Post’ newspaper, Austin told reporters on Wednesday, ‘What are they actually doing? It remains to be seen. These are things we need to sort out.’
He said that if the army from Russia joins the Ukraine war, it would be ‘a very serious issue’ and it would have an impact on Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. The South Korean intelligence agency first reported that the Russian Navy had taken 1,500 North Korean special troops to Russia last week, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korean soldiers were being prepared to join the Russian army.
The US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had not previously formally confirmed the deployment of troops by North Korea but have warned of the danger of such developments. Russia and North Korea have so far denied military activities. South Korean intelligence chief Cho Tae-yong told lawmakers that about three thousand North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia who are receiving training in operating drones and other equipment before being deployed in the battlefields against Ukraine.
1500 soldiers sent to Russia
In a parliamentary committee meeting, National Intelligence Service (NIS) director Cho Tae-yong said that 1,500 more North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia who will receive training along with the 1,500 soldiers of their country already present there. This information was given by MP Park Sunwon, who attended the meeting.
Soldiers undergoing training
Park quoted Cho as saying that the NIS had recently estimated that 1,500 soldiers had reached Russia in early October. According to Park, Cho also told the MPs that his agency estimates that North Korea aims to deploy its 10,000 soldiers in Russia by December.
Park quoted Cho as saying that the 3,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia have been divided and sent to several military bases where they are undergoing training. According to Park, Cho told the MPs that the NIS believes that they have not yet been deployed in the war. Lawmaker Lee Seong-Kweun, who was with Park, said the NIS found that the Russian military is now teaching North Korean troops how to use military equipment such as drones.
