US says ‘evidence’ North Korea has sent troops to Russia

Seoul’s quality bureau says treble the fig of soldiers antecedently stated sent to combat against Ukraine.

The United States has said determination is grounds that North Korea has sent soldiers to Russia arsenic South Korea said astir 3,000 soldiers are being trained earlier being deployed to battlefields successful Ukraine.

Confirming their beingness connected Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters successful Rome that further clarity was needed connected what the soldiers person been doing there.

“There is grounds that determination are [North Korean] troops successful Russia,” Austin said. “What precisely they are doing? Left to beryllium seen. These are things that we request to benignant out.”

The National Intelligence Service (NIS), South Korea’s spy agency, said connected Wednesday that different 1,500 North Korean soldiers joined the 1,500 the bureau precocious estimated had reached Russia earlier successful October.

North Korea has promised to provide astir 10,000 soldiers to Russia, whose deployment was apt to beryllium completed by December, South Korean legislators told journalists.

“Signs of troops being trained wrong North Korea were detected successful September and October,” said Park Sun-won, a subordinate of a parliamentary quality committee.

“It appears that the troops person present been dispersed to aggregate grooming facilities successful Russia and are adapting to the section environment.”

The NIS said past week that North Korea had sent much than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and different accepted arms to Russia since August 2023 to replenish its dwindling weapons stockpiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has antecedently accused Pyongyang of preparing to nonstop astatine slightest 10,000 soldiers to Russia, calling connected allies connected Tuesday to respond.

Russia has dismissed the unit deployments arsenic “fake news”, portion North Korea has attempted to support quality of the dispatch from spreading, said South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun.

“There are besides signs of North Korean authorities relocating and isolating those [soldiers’] families successful a definite spot successful bid to efficaciously power them and thoroughly ace down connected the rumours,” Lee said, citing the spy agency.

He said the bureau confirmed that Russia had recruited a “large number” of interpreters for the North Korean soldiers, portion grooming them to usage subject equipment, specified arsenic drones.

“Russian instructors are assessing that the North Korean subject has fantabulous carnal attributes and morale but lacks knowing of modern warfare specified arsenic drone attacks,” the lawmaker added.

North Korea and Russia, embroiled successful abstracted confrontations with the West, person been bolstering their practice implicit the past 2 years. In June, they signed a large defence deal requiring some countries to usage each disposable means to supply contiguous subject assistance if either is attacked.

Germany connected Wednesday summoned North Korea’s envoy implicit Pyongyang’s enactment to Russia.

“North Korea’s enactment of the Russian warfare of aggression straight threatens Germany’s information and the European bid order,” Germany’s Federal Foreign Office said connected X.

Earlier this week, South Korea called for the immediate withdrawal of the North’s troops from Russia, informing that it whitethorn see supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine successful effect and summoning Russia’s ambassador.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies