NCS
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North Korea is “very likely to ask” Moscow for superior technology associated to nuclear weapons in exchange for deploying troops to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun stated on the Pentagon on Wednesday.
North Korea will likely request Russian technology transfers relating to tactical nuclear weapons, the development of North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites and nuclear submarines, Kim stated, talking by means of a translator alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The association would mirror one Russia has with Iran, in which Moscow has been sharing technology on nuclear points with Tehran in exchange for weapons and army help for the conflict in Ukraine, the White House stated in September.
Kim stated that, in the end, he didn’t imagine North Korea deploying troops to assist Russia would enhance “the possibility of war breaking out on the Korean peninsula” however that it may end result in “the escalation of the security threats on the Korean peninsula.”
South Korea has been elevating alarms about North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia for weeks and briefed NATO allies on the intelligence concerning the troop actions on Monday. A supply aware of the matter stated that South Korea has dramatically elevated its intelligence sharing with the alliance in latest weeks as their considerations have grown concerning the North Korean actions.
The US independently confirmed for the primary time final week that hundreds of North Korean troops had been despatched to Russia for army coaching. At first, the US stated solely 3,000 have been there however revised that quantity this week to 10,000. South Korea says 13,000 have been deployed.
A small variety of North Korean troops are already in Ukraine, NCS reported on Tuesday, and officers are rising more and more involved that the forces will enter into fight alongside Russian troops.
“The evidence now suggests that North Korea has sent around 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia,” Austin stated on Wednesday. “Some of these DPRK troops have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we’re seeing them outfitted with Russian uniforms and provided with Russian equipment.”
Asked what would occur if North Korean troops are killed with American-made weapons offered to Ukraine, Austin stated that “those kinds of things will happen” if the North Koreans be a part of the Russians in the conflict.
“If the DPRK soldiers are fighting alongside Russian soldiers in this conflict and attacking Ukrainian soldiers, Ukrainian soldiers have the right to defend themselves, and they will do that with the weapons that we provided and others have provided,” Austin stated. “If they are fighting alongside Russian soldiers, they are co-belligerents, and you have every reason to believe that those kinds of things will happen, that they will be killed and wounded as a result of battle.”
It remains to be unclear how useful the North Koreans might be to the Russians on the battlefield. Many of the troops deployed are particular forces, NCS reported on Tuesday, however North Korea’s army has not fought in an precise conflict for over 70 years. Intelligence officers imagine the North Korean authorities despatched them in massive half so they may acquire fight expertise.
Kim, the South Korean protection minister, didn’t reply instantly when requested on Wednesday whether or not South Korea will start offering army support to the Ukrainians to assist counter the North Koreans, which might be at odds with the South Koreans’ longstanding coverage of not arming international locations at conflict.
But he did say that South Korean army analysts could possibly be deployed to observe the North Koreans preventing the Russians to acquire extra perception into North Korea’s army readiness.
“I believe it could serve as a great opportunity for our analysis team or observer to learn the movements or trends of the North Korean troops,” Kim stated. “I believe if we can collect such information diligently and then utilize it for our future safety of and stability of our country, I believe it can serve as an opportunity for us to provide better protection toward the people of Republic of Korea.”
“I believe it is an obvious task that our military should play to send observers and analysis team to the Russia-Ukraine war,” he added. “And I would even say that if we don’t send our observers or analysis team, it would mean that we are not faithfully doing our jobs.”
NCS’s Haley Britzky and Michael Conte contributed reporting.