White House Warns North Korean Soldiers To Be Right Targets If Deployed To Ukraine's Battlefield

John Kirby. (Source: The White House)

JAKARTA - White House officials, United States on Wednesday confirmed there were about 3,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia at this time, warning they would be legitimate targets if deployed to the Ukrainian battlefield.

The presence of these soldiers in eastern Russia raised concerns that they would be deployed to the battlefield after undergoing training.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby delivered an assessment of the United States, Pyongyang moved the troops to Russia via ship during the early to mid-October period, but stressed Washington did not yet know what the troop's mission was.

"We consider that these soldiers traveled by ship from the Wonsan region of North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia. These soldiers then continued their journey to a number of Russian military training locations in eastern Russia where they are currently undergoing training," Kirby said at a press conference, referring to North Korea's east coastal city and Russia's Far East city., reported The Korea Times October 24.

"We don't know if these soldiers will join the fight with the Russian military, but this is certainly a very worrying possibility. After completing training, these soldiers can travel to western Russia and then engage in fighting against the Ukrainian military," he added.

Kirby noted that the North Korean soldiers in question are currently receiving basic combat training and introduction at three Russian locations.

The US analysis is in accordance with an assessment by Seoul's main intelligence agency (NIS), some 3,000 North Korean soldiers are expected to have been sent to Russia, with a total of 10,000 troops expected to be deployed by December.

In the coming days, Washington plans to announce "significant" sanctions targeting Russian war supporters in Ukraine located outside Russia, Kirby said.

"Russian cooperation with the North Korean military violated several UN Security Council resolutions, which prohibit the procurement of weapons from North Korea and military weapons training," he said.

"This step is also a violation," he said.

The official pointed out that if Russia was forced to switch to North Korea for military force, it would indicate a level of direct military cooperation "unprecedented" between the two countries with security implications for Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Kirby warned of potential victims of North Korea that could occur if troops engaged in fighting.

"If they are actually deployed to fight Ukraine, they are a legitimate target and the Ukrainian military will defend itself against the North Korean army in the same way they defend themselves against the Russian army," Kirby said.

"So it is possible that some North Korean soldiers were killed and injured in the fight against Ukraine is truly real if they are deployed," he said.

The confirmation came after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in Rome, Italy, Uncle Sam's country saw evidence Pyongyang had sent troops to Russia.

Earlier, although Seoul had confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops last week, Washington had not confirmed it, sparking speculation that there may be gaps in intelligence analysis between the two allies.

Meanwhile, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, dismissed South Korean intelligence analysis of sending North Korean troops as "false news."

He also warned Seoul could face "security consequences" if it engages in the Ukraine crisis, as Seoul has pledged to take "phase" steps in response to the increasingly close military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, including its possible considerations for providing weapons support to Ukraine.

"They have to think about the security consequences if they engage in the Ukraine crisis," he told a press conference via an English translator. "Russian Federation will react to these aggressive measures, if our citizens are threatened, in danger," he said.