US suggests possible deployment of North Korean troops to Russia's Kursk

During a briefing, John Kirby, the Strategic Communications Coordinator for the White House National Security Council, indicated that North Korean troops currently believed to be in Russia might be sent to the Kursk region.

He stated that the U.S. is unclear about the intended role of these troops in that area, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“It’s possible, and perhaps even likely, that some North Korean soldiers could be deployed to Kursk. But we don’t yet know their purpose or how they’ll be used,” Kirby explained.

If North Korean forces enter the conflict zone in Ukraine, they would be considered “legitimate military targets.” Kirby elaborated, saying, “We’re unsure if these troops will fight alongside Russian forces, but it’s certainly a concerning possibility. If they engage in combat against Ukraine, they will be treated as legitimate targets, similar to Russian soldiers.”

Reports of North Korean troops allegedly arriving in Russia emerged last week. South Korean intelligence estimates that around 1,500 North Korean soldiers are stationed at military training sites in Russia's Far East. The U.S. reports that at least 3,000 North Korean troops arrived in Vladivostok in October, distributed among various training grounds. South Korean President Yun Seok-yol described this as a provocative action. The Kremlin dismissed claims about North Korean troop deployments as contradictory, while North Korean officials labelled them as rumours.

On October 10, Dmitry Peskov, the Russian presidential spokesman, characterized the South Korean claims as misinformation. President Vladimir Putin remarked that there was no need for North Korean forces in the region involved in the "special military operation".

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, described the assertions regarding North Korean troop deployments as “misleading information and hype” on October 23, asserting that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea complies with international law.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko previously suggested that NATO might exploit the rumours about North Korean troop movements to justify sending its own forces to Ukraine.

By Tamilla Hasanova