The White House on Friday (October 25) expressed “grave concern” over North Korea sending troops to Russia, with national security advisers from the United States, South Korea, and Japan all voicing their apprehension.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with South Korea’s National Security Office chief Suh Hoon and Japan’s National Security Council chief Katsuyuki Kawai in Washington.
Kirby stated that the three national security advisers unanimously agreed that North Korea dispatching soldiers to Russia is the latest sign of deepening military relations between Pyongyang and Moscow.
“The national security advisers expressed serious concern over North Korea deploying troops in Russia,” Kirby said, “which could be used to target Ukraine.”
The advisers also pointed out that the transfer of weapons and ballistic missiles between the two countries directly violates United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Kirby said, “The national security advisers urge North Korea and Russia to cease these actions, as they will only expand Russia’s cruel and illegal war’s security impact beyond Europe and into the Indo-Pacific region.”
On Thursday, Russian President Putin did not deny the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
In June of this year, North Korea and Russia signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement, which includes a mutual defense clause committing to aid each other in repelling foreign aggression.
Putin stated that how to implement the treaty signed with Pyongyang is a matter of internal affairs for the two countries.
“We believe the North Korean leadership will take our agreement seriously,” Putin said, “but what we do and how we do it is our business.”
Prior to Kirby’s remarks, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy cited Ukrainian intelligence on social media platform X, indicating that Russia may deploy the first batch of North Korean soldiers to the conflict zone as early as October 27th to 28th, marking a clear escalation of the situation.
Ukrainian military intelligence reported on Thursday that around 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and 3 generals, have arrived in Russia and are undergoing training at five military bases.
Earlier this week, Kirby stated that there were about 3,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia. However, during Friday’s briefing, Kirby mentioned that the U.S. now believes there may be over 3,000 North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia for preparation and training.
He said, “We believe this is possible, we are investigating the relevant reports and the number could be above this figure.”
Ukrainian prosecutors stated on Friday that they have launched an investigation into North Korea’s support for Russia in the war, considering it may constitute a crime of aggression.