A “small number” of North Korean troops are already in Russia’s western front-line Kursk region, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed Tuesday, citing indications that they will be used in “some type of infantry role.”

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder made the remarks, a day after Washington said Pyongyang has sent around 10,000 troops to train in eastern Russia that will likely augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the “next several weeks.”

“Indications (are) that there’s already a small number (of North Korean troops) that are actually in the Kursk Oblast, with a couple thousand more that are either almost there or due to arrive imminently,” Ryder told a press briefing.

“The rest at this time, of course, (are) training out in the east, but (we) fully expect that they’ll move in that direction at some point,” he added.

Earlier this week, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that North Korean troops have been deployed to Kursk.

Asked to comment on wh
at combat capability North Korean troops will bring for Russia, Ryder pointed to “initial indications” that they will likely undertake some infantry role.

Ryder also pointed out that the U.S. is keeping a close eye on whether North Korean troops are planning to go into Ukraine.

“We are concerned that they do intend to employ these forces in combat against Ukrainians or at least support combat operations against the Ukrainians in the Kursk region,” he said. “As of right now, it remains to be seen exactly how the Russians and the North Koreans will employ these forces.”

Regarding a question of whether North Korean troops could be fired upon using U.S.-provided weapons, if they arrive in Kursk or Ukraine, Ryder said that the weapons, which the U.S. and other international partners have offered, are “Ukrainian weapons and capabilities.”

“We’ve been very clear that Ukraine is able to employ those capabilities to defend their sovereign territory from threats that are either emanating from across the border or i
nside Ukrainian territory,” he said.

The press secretary noted that Washington is trying to figure out what the “quid pro quo” is between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin following the troop deployment.

“We’ve seen the relationship further deepening between the DPRK and Russia, which is, of course, concerning to include the provision of munitions from North Korea to Russia to aid in their war effort,” he said, using the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

He also highlighted that Russia’s outsourcing for foreign troops indicates that there are “some serious questions” in terms of its ability to sustain its personnel requirements.

During a press availability. Biden voiced concerns over the North’s troop dispatch, according to the White House press corps’ pool report. When asked if Ukraine should strike the North’s troops, Biden said, “If they cross into Ukraine.”

In a separate press briefing. State Department spokesperson Ma
tthew Miller reiterated that Russia’s training of North Korean troops is a breach of multiple U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

“We believe that Russia’s training of DPRK soldiers involving arms or related material is a direct violation of Security Council Resolution 1718, 1874 and 2270,” Miller told a press briefing.

“And DPRK soldiers providing or receiving any training or other assistance related to the use of ballistic missiles or other arms would violate Resolution 1718, 1874 and … in addition to Russia and the DPRK’s ongoing U.N. arms embargo violations,” he added.

UNSC Resolutions 1718, 1874 and 2270 were adopted by the council in 2006, 2009 and 2016, respectively, due mainly to Pyongyang’s nuclear test in those years. They entail economic and other sanctions targeting the North’s development of weapons of mass destruction.

Miller also highlighted the United States’ ability to impose sanctions on Russia and North Korea.

“We’ve shown we are willing to use those abilities and authorities i
n the past and we will continue to do so when appropriate,” he said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency