8,000 of the troops Kim Jong Un sent to support Russia are about to hit the front lines, the US says

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un have forged closer ties as Moscow leans on Pyongyang to help fuel its war in Ukraine.

Thousands of North Korean troops have been moved to the frontline region of Kursk and are expected to enter combat “in the coming days,” top US officials said on Thursday.

US State Secretary Antony Blinken said that as many as 8,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to the battle-hit Russian territory, where Kyiv launched its counteroffensive this summer.

“We’ve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days,” Blinken said in a joint press conference with South Korean officials at the State Department.

He said Russia has been training these soldiers to use artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles, and infantry operations such as trench clearing.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin added at the conference that the North Korean soldiers were being equipped with Russian uniforms and gear.

“All of that strongly indicates that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in frontline operations in its war of choice against Ukraine,” Austin said.

“Make no mistake,” he added. “If these North Korean troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine they would make themselves legitimate military targets.”

Blinken and Austin’s comments are the clearest statements from Washington so far about North Korea’s direct involvement in the war.

The Pentagon said on Monday that, in total, Pyongyang had sent Russia at least 10,000 troops, backing up a previous estimate from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Videos of those troops circulating in mid-October appeared to show them training and being fitted with new equipment.

Both Austin and Blinken characterized Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s leaning on Pyongyang for manpower as a sign that Moscow is feeling the weight of its war strategy in Ukraine.

“One of the reasons that Russia is turning to these North Korean troops is that it’s desperate,” Blinken said. “Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he’s turning to North Korean troops. And that is a clear sign of weakness.”

The new developments come as North Korea and Russia have forged closer ties, signing an agreement in June pledging to defend each other if they come under attack.

Russia, which has tried to stave off Western sanctions by steering its economy heavily toward military production, was accused by South Korea in February of raw materials and food to North Korea in exchange for weapons.

Ukrainian troops also said they’ve been finding North Korean weapons used against them. One analysis by the Conflict Armament Research group found that missiles manufactured by Pyongyang this year were likely already being fired in Ukraine.

Such reports of North Korea’s rapport with Russia and involvement in the war have prompted questions about the response in the coming weeks from South Korea, which is already one of the world’s fastest-rising defense manufacturing industries.

In March 2024, it became the country with the 10th largest arms export market, riding a wave of European countries boosting their defense spending as the Ukraine war rages.

Poland, for example, struck a $22 billion deal in November 2023 to buy arms from South Korea.

Seoul’s laws prohibit the offensive weapons it sells from being transferred to Ukraine, but it is now weighing the option of striking down that ban given Pyongyang’s new involvement in the war.

That measure will likely have to be approved by the South Korean Legislative Assembly.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration has considered sending teams to observe North Korean troops in Ukraine, which it says will not require parliamentary consent. But opposition leaders in Seoul have condemned this course of action as unconstitutional, saying it must be justified by a more immediate threat to South Korea.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by B-17.