According to the US, 8,000 North Korean soldiers will start fighting in the conflict with Ukraine "in coming days."
Secretary of State Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin warn that 8,000 North Korea troops have been outfitted by Russia in "strong" indication they will be fighting Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk.
prativad 
According to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 8,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia are anticipated to start fighting Ukrainian forces in Kursk "in the coming days."
Eighty percent of the 10,000 North Korean soldiers thought to have been transported to Russia for training are currently in the Kursk region, where Ukraine began its incursion in August, according to the secretary.
According to reports earlier this month, Ukraine has subsequently seized and held onto some 460 square kilometers, forcing Russia to wage its war on its own soil in addition to forcing civilians to evacuate the area.
Blinken, speaking alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts in a joint press conference Thursday, said Russia has been training the North Korean troops in artillery and UAV basic infantry operations like trench clearing in an indication that Moscow "fully intend[s] to use these forces in frontline operations."
The Russian military has also apparently provided these troops with uniforms and equipment in what Austin also said "strongly indicates that Russia intends to use these foreign forces in frontline operations in its war of choice against Ukraine."
"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he's turning to North Korean troops, and that is a clear sign of weakness," Blinken said.
The secretary also said Russian troops are seeing record high casualty rates with some 1,200 casualties reported a day in eastern Ukraine – a rate that is more than Russia has endured at any other time since the war began more than two and half years ago.
The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia, first confirmed by the Pentagon a week ago, is the first time in 100 years that Russia has invited foreign troops onto its soil, confirmed Blinken.
When pressed by reporters about whether Ukrainian forces can continue to hold onto the territory in Kursk, Austin said simply, "Yes."
"If you take a look at what I said earlier in terms of the numbers of casualties that Russia is suffering on a daily basis… [and] you do the math on a given month – those are pretty big numbers," Austin said. "Ten thousand pales in comparison to those kinds of casualties."
Blinken said additional security assistance will be announced for Ukraine in "the coming days."
The joint address came just hours after North Korea on Thursday also launched its longest ever intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) roughly 620 miles over an 86-minute period in the direction of the East Sea, reported Japanese authorities.
Austin told reporters on Thursday he did not believe Russia had any involvement in the latest missile test but said the U.S. is continuing to work with allies and partners in the region to analyze the missile launch. Though Austin also warned that North Korea’s partnership with Russia is likely to "embolden" it.
"[North Korea] stands a chance of gaining in this exchange," Austin said in reference to its partnership with Russia. "This is something we're going to have to continue to watch very, very closely.
"It will… potentially embolden them to do more of the kinds of things that we've seen them do here recently," he added in reference to the ICBM launch.
:quality(85):upscale()/2024/12/24/622/n/1922564/9eb50f2c676abd9f1647c5.05876809_.jpg)
