US: North Korean Troops Fighting In Ukraine Would Be Legitimate Targets

10/23/2024 7:06:09 PM

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (KUNA) - The United States warned Wednesday that if North Korean troops were deployed to fight along Russian forces in Ukraine, they would be legitimate targets.
"We'll see what the Russians and the North Koreans decide to do," the White House National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said in a press briefing.
"As I said earlier, if these North Korean soldiers decide to join the fight against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets," he affirmed.
Kirby unveiled that the US assesses that between early to mid-October North Korea moved at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia.
"We assess that these soldiers traveled by ship from the Wonsan area in North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia. These soldiers then traveled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia, where they are currently undergoing training," he indicated.
"We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is a certain -- certainly a highly concerning probability."
He expected that after completing training, these soldiers could travel to western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military.
"We have briefed the Ukrainian government on our understanding of this situation, and we're certainly consulting closely with other allies, partners and countries in the region on the implications of such a dramatic move and on how we might respond," he said.
Kirby noted that if Russia is forced to turn to North Korea for manpower, this would be a sign of weakness, not strength, on the part of the Kremlin.
"It would also demonstrate an unprecedented level of direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, with security implications in Europe as well as the Indo-Pacific," he added.
The US official stressed that Russia's cooperation with the North Korean military is in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, which prohibit the procurement of arms from North Korea and military arms training. This move is likewise a violation. (end)
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