U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has called the deployment of North Korean troops by Russia to aid its war against Ukraine a "dangerous and destabilizing escalation" and said it could lengthen the conflict.
Speaking during a news conference at the Pentagon alongside his South Korean counterpart on October 30, Austin said some 10,000 North Korean forces were already deployed to eastern Russia. Some of the troops are moving to the Kursk region wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment. Other North Korean units have already arrived in the Kursk region.
SEE ALSO: NATO Confirms North Korean Troops In Russia, Says It Shows Putin's 'Desperation'Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion into the region in August and they continue to hold hundreds of square kilometers of territory there.
The deployment of the North Korean troops not only has the potential of lengthening the conflict, it could also encourage others to take action.
“There are a number of things that could happen," Austin said.
He added that “the likelihood is pretty high” that Russia will use the North Korean troops in combat.
Austin reiterated that the North Korean troops can expect to be targeted on the battlefield by Ukrainian troops using weapons provided by the United States and its allies, and some will likely die.
"If they are fighting alongside of Russian soldiers, they are co-belligerents, and we have every reason to believe that...they will be killed and wounded as a result of that," Austin said.
SEE ALSO: North Korean Troops Are 'Fair Game' In Russia's War Against UkraineThe United States is taking the situation very seriously, and urges the Kremlin to change course.
Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations told the Security Council in New York on October 30 that Russia's military interaction with North Korea does not violate international law and is "not aimed against third countries."
Vasily Nebenzya also denied reports that North Korean troops were present at the front line in the war.
"These statements about the North Korean soldiers in our front should not surprise anyone because they're all barefaced lies," Nebenzya told the council, accusing Washington and London of "disinformation."
South Korea has warned that Pyongyang would learn valuable lessons from its troops and witness modern warfare by helping Russia, and this would constitute a direct military threat to Seoul.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said at the news conference with Austin that he doesn't necessarily believe the deployment would trigger war on the Korean Peninsula, but could increase security threats because North Korea is likely to seek Russian military technology in exchange for the deployment. This could include tactical nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile technology.
Meanwhile, North Korea's top diplomat arrived in Moscow for talks that South Korea's spy agency said could involve discussions on sending additional troops and what the North would get in return.