Pentagon confirms North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Wednesday suspicions from South Korean intelligence sources about the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia. Seoul claimed weeks earlier that the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-un had brought troops to Russia to fight on the Ukrainian front.

"We are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops that have gone to Russia," Austin said in remarks reported by CNN. "What, exactly, they’re doing is left to be seen." According to Pentagon officials, at the moment, it is confirmed that North Korean troops are in eastern Russia and are being trained.

For the moment, The White House is ruling out that there are already North Korean troops on the Ukrainian front. However, it is reporting that Russia has summoned its Korean ally. This move is a testament to the difficulties of the Kremlin and its armed forces in keeping up pace in the war against Kiev.

"If they’re a co-belligerent, their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf, that is a very, very serious issue, and it will have impacts not only on in Europe — It will also impact things in the Indo Pacific as well," Austin said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added to South Korea's warnings. On the Korean peninsula, tension is growing, and the communist regime of Kim Jon-un has blown up all roads previously connecting North and South Korea.

NATO organizes a meeting

NATO said it possesses evidence of the deployment of North Korean troops on Russian territory, the trans-Atlantic military alliance's spokeswoman, Farah Dakhlallah, said Wednesday.

"If these troops are destined to fight in Ukraine, it would mark a significant escalation in North Korea’s support for Russia’s illegal war and yet another sign of Russia’s significant losses on the front lines," Dakhlallah said.

According to the spokeswoman, the military alliance is holding consultations on the matter, and the North Atlantic Council will receive additional information from South Korea.

She also said that NATO would "further discuss this matter soon." 

South Korea claimed Friday that its intelligence services had detected the dispatch of some 12,000 North Korean troops to Russian territory and on Monday demanded the "immediate withdrawal" of those soldiers.

Last Friday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the military alliance was not then in a position to prove the deployment of these troops and their potential link to the Russia-Ukraine war.

"At this moment, our official position is that we cannot confirm reports that North Koreans are actively now as soldiers engaged in the war effort. But this, of course, might change," he said.