ABC:
The Pentagon estimates there are now “at least 10,000” North Korean forces inside Russia’s Kursk Oblast, and Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said that “those numbers could go up.”
Ryder said that overall there could be closer to 11,000 to 12,000 North Korean troops inside of Russia. Ryder said the U.S. fully expects the remaining troops still in eastern Russia to make their way to Kursk.
“We’ve seen the press reports about alleged combat ops. We’re looking into those, but at this point, cannot corroborate those reports,” said Ryder, who made the comments at a press briefing on Monday.
NATO had confirmed last month that North Korean troops have been deployed alongside their Russian counterparts in the Kursk region, the area within Russia where Ukraine has been waging an assault.
“The deployment of North Korean troops represents: one, a significant escalation in the DPRK ongoing involvement in Russia’s illegal war,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, using the acronym of the country’s official name — the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
North Korea has denied the reports of its forces being active in Russia. The country’s foreign minister, Choe Son-hui, traveled to Moscow last month on an official visit.
Ryder also said he could not corroborate that there are small numbers of North Korean engineers inside Ukraine.
“But as you heard Secretary [of Defense Lloyd] Austin say last week, should these troops engage in combat support operations against Ukraine, they would become legitimate military targets,” he said.
