SEOUL, South Korea — About 12,000 North Korean troops will be sent to Russia, the key U.S. ally announced Thursday, vowing that it “will not stand idly by and do nothing” in the face of this major “provocation.”
This new estimate, which the South Korean Ministry of Defense shared with NBC News, comes after the United States joined Seoul and Kiev in confirming this development and saying that any forces deployed against Ukraine would be “fair game.”
Pyongyang is expected to bolster the Russian military with its large contingent of special forces, military engineers and artillery forces, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jong-hyun told lawmakers on Thursday, his office told NBC News. He added that the total number is expected to reach 12,000, with 3,000 already deployed.
This matches Washington’s assessment.
“They’re fair game,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday, saying the United States believes at least 3,000 North Korean troops have already reached eastern Russia by sea. Kirby said the soldiers moved in earlier this month and are receiving training at several Russian military bases.
He added: “They are fair goals and the Ukrainian army will defend itself against North Korean soldiers in the same way they defend themselves against Russian soldiers.” “It is possible that there are dead and wounded North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukraine.”
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