North Korea deploys troops to Russia, U.S. also acknowledges… “Evidence secured”

Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense, “A Serious Issue”,

Video released on the 18th (local time) by the Ukrainian Military Strategic Communications and Information Security Center (SPRAVDI) showing soldiers, suspected to be North Korean, lining up to receive Russian supplies. [Yonhap],
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, ‘[Herald Economy=Reporter Park Joon-kyu] The U.S. government has, for the first time, acknowledged North Korea dispatching troops to Russia. On the 23rd (local time), U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated they have evidence of North Korean troops being in Russia.’,
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, ‘According to Reuters and the New York Times (NYT), Secretary Austin, while speaking to reporters during his trip to Rome, Italy, said, “There is evidence that DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) personnel are in Russia.”’,
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, ‘When asked about the intent of North Korea’s deployment, he said, “We have to see. This is an issue we need to sort out clearly,” expressing concern that “this is a very serious issue that will affect not only Europe but also the Indo-Pacific region.”’,
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, ‘However, Secretary Austin refrained from elaborating on what the evidence is or how they are identifying the size of the North Korean troops deployed.’,
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, ‘The previous day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed, citing a report from Ukrainian Army Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, that “two brigades of North Korean troops, totaling 6,000 personnel each, are training in Russia.”’,
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, ‘In response, the NYT reported that U.S. government officials are estimating that about 2,500 North Korean troops have been dispatched to Russia. However, it was noted that no North Korean troops have yet arrived in Ukraine.’,
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, ‘The Russian government has not commented on Secretary Austin’s remarks. Earlier this month, Russia dismissed the rumors of North Korean troop deployment but has recently adopted a stance of neither confirming nor denying (NCND).’,
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, ‘The U.S. and NATO have expressed strong concerns over the reports of North Korean troop deployments but have maintained a cautious stance of being unable to confirm the facts. On the 22nd, our government officially confirmed North Korea’s troop deployment.’,
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