U.S., NATO confirm deployment of North Korean troops to Russia

The United States and NATO confirmed Wednesday that North Korea has deployed troops to Russia, which Western officials view as evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin has permitted foreign military intervention.

Soldiers believed to be from North Korea are standing in line to receive supplies from Russia on Oct. 19 in a screen capture of video footage released by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security, or Spravdi, Friday, on Facebook. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The United States and NATO confirmed Wednesday that North Korea has deployed troops to Russia, which Western officials view as evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin has permitted foreign military intervention — a move previously considered off-limits — marking a potential turning point in the war.

“We assess that between early- to mid-October, North Korea moved at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia,” White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said in a briefing Wednesday.

“We assess that these soldiers traveled by ship from the Wonsan area in North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia,” Kirby said, adding that the troops have since been stationed at three separate training sites in the Russian Far East.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was the first high-ranking U.S. official to confirm North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia.

Austin's confirmation came five days after South Korea's intelligence reported the deployment of North Korean forces. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service first reported last Friday that at least 1,500 North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia. It updated the figure Tuesday, saying that another 1,500 had been sent, and further predicted that up to 10,000 North Korean troops could be deployed to aid the war effort by the end of the year.

Shortly after Austin’s statement, NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah confirmed that the allies had verified the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia. The confirmation prompted swift reactions from several European countries, including Germany and Austria, which summoned North Korean diplomats in protest.

The European Union (EU) also announced that it would impose additional sanctions on both Russia and North Korea. Peter Stano, the European Commission's lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, warned that any confirmed involvement of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s war against Ukraine would constitute a serious breach of international law and that the EU “would be ready to take further action, including by considering further EU sanctions.”

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks at the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on Wednesday. [AP/YONHAP]

The White House responded by outlining plans to expand individual sanctions targeting specific individuals and institutions. Kirby said that the U.S. would soon announce a “significant sanctions tranche targeting the enablers of Russia’s war in Ukraine located outside of Russia.”

While these sanctions represent the first wave of responses, military experts expect military aid to Ukraine to increase, particularly via greenlights of Western-made long-range missiles, which Ukraine has long requested. Kirby refrained from addressing the matter directly, however, stating that the exact nature of North Korea's troop deployment remains unclear, including the question of whether its soldiers will participate in combat or be involved in the killing of Ukrainian civilians.

Victor Cha, senior adviser and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), described North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia as a significant and irreversible step, saying that the regime has “crossed the Rubicon.”

Cha warned of the long-term consequences the action could spell for North Korea's relations with Europe.

“Europe, traditionally, has been North Korea’s gateway to the West and was seen by Pyongyang as more 'neutral' than the United States,” Cha wrote on the CSIS website. “But North Korea’s decision to send troops to kill Europeans will not easily be forgotten in European capitals. Thus, this tactical move by Kim will have long-term consequences for EU-DPRK relations,” abbreviating North Korea's official name.

Cha further suggested that South Korea, under President Yoon Suk Yeol, would likely “feel compelled” to increase its support for Ukraine by providing either more economic and humanitarian aid or direct military assistance.

In contrast, Russia dismissed the reports of North Korean troop involvement as “fake” and suggested that officials should “turn to Pyongyang” to verify the troops' locations.

It further warned that South Korea could face “security consequences” if were to enter Ukraine's war against Russia. The comment followed Seoul's vow to take “phased” measures in response to the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

“The Russian Federation will react to those aggressive steps, if our citizens are under threat, under peril,” Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during a press briefing.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]