Days after South Korea claimed that North Korea had dispatched 3,000 troops to Russia to bolster Kremlin forces in the ongoing war in Ukraine, the United States confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated on Wednesday in Rome, “There is evidence of DPRK troops in Russia,” using the formal abbreviation for North Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. 

Austin expressed uncertainty about the specific actions of North Korean troops in Russia, stating, ‘What exactly they're doing is left to be seen’, and stressed the need for more clarity. He called it a ‘serious issue’ if North Korea intends to participate in the war on Russia's behalf.

Austin described North Korea's presence as a 'very serious' escalation that would have consequences in both Europe and Asia.

Seoul's intelligence agency has provided detailed satellite images showing that North Korea has deployed an initial group of 1,500 special forces soldiers to Vladivostok, Russia, with intentions to send more troops in the near future. 

ALSO READ: 'Israel Waging Brutal War Against Lebanon, Undermining UN Resolutions': Lebanese Envoy To India Rabie Narsh | Exclusive

Kim Jong Un and Putin's Major Military Agreement

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported that it had detected the transportation of North Korean special forces to Russia between October 8 and 13 using a Russian Navy transport ship, indicating the start of North Korea's military engagement in the conflict.

In a June meeting in Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact for mutual military assistance in case of an attack on either country, one of their largest defence agreements since the Cold War. 

ALSO READ: Canada: 19-Year-Old Sikh Woman Employee Found Dead In Oven At Halifax Walmart, Investigation Underway

While the National Intelligence Service (NIS) has not confirmed this report, South Korea's presidential office stated that President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss North Korea's troop deployment to Ukraine. Participants agreed that this deployment poses a serious security threat to South Korea and the international community.