US: North Korea Has Sent Troops to Russia
2024-10-24
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1The United States said on Wednesday that it had seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia.
2And South Korean intelligence officials told lawmakers that about 3,000 soldiers had been sent to support Russia's war against Ukraine.
3Speaking in Rome, Italy, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia."
4DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
5Austin said it would be "very, very serious" if the North Koreans were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Ukraine's government has claimed.
6However, the defense chief added that it remained to be seen what the North Korean soldiers are doing in Russia.
7South Korean intelligence first reported that the Russian navy had taken 1,500 North Korean special warfare troops to Russia last week.
8And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government had intelligence information saying that 10,000 North Korean soldiers are preparing to join the invading Russian forces.
9South Korean lawmakers then said that intelligence chief Cho Tae-yong told them another 1,500 had entered Russia, with thousands more expected to follow.
10Park Sun-won, a member of a parliamentary intelligence committee,
11said after the briefing that troops seem to have gone to several training centers in Russia.
12They are "adapting to the local environment," Park added.
13South Korean intelligence officials also said that North Korea had sent more than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and other weapons to Russia since August 2023.
14The Ukraine conflict broke out when Russia invaded the country in February 2022.
15The war has largely been fought along the front lines in eastern Ukraine, with huge numbers of casualties on both sides.
16Austin said the North Korean deployment could be additional evidence that the Russian military was having problems with manpower.
17In the past, Russia has dismissed South Korea's claims about the North's troop deployment, calling it "fake news."
18And a North Korean representative to the United Nations in New York called the claims "groundless rumors" at a meeting on Monday.
19Both countries have also denied weapons transfers.
20But the two countries have agreed to increase military ties.
21And they signed a mutual defense treaty at a meeting in June.
22Lee Seong-kweun, another South Korean lawmaker, said intelligence officials confirmed that Russia had recruited a "large number" of interpreters for the North Korean soldiers.
23The Russians are also training the North Korean soldiers in the use of modern military weapons, such as drones.
24North Korea has 1.2 million troops - one of the largest standing armies in the world.
25But it has not fought in large conflicts since the 1950-1953 Korean War.
26Many experts question how much North Korean troops would help Russia, noting a shortage of battle experience.
27They say North Korea wants to get Russian economic support and wants its help to modernize the North's weapons systems.
28On Tuesday, South Korea's presidential office urged an immediate withdrawal of the North's troops from Russia.
29South Korean officials warned that it may consider supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine if military ties between Russia and North Korea went too far.
30I'm Ashley Thompson.
1The United States said on Wednesday that it had seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia. And South Korean intelligence officials told lawmakers that about 3,000 soldiers had been sent to support Russia's war against Ukraine. 2Speaking in Rome, Italy, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia." DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. 3Austin said it would be "very, very serious" if the North Koreans were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Ukraine's government has claimed. However, the defense chief added that it remained to be seen what the North Korean soldiers are doing in Russia. 43000 troops sent to Russia 5South Korean intelligence first reported that the Russian navy had taken 1,500 North Korean special warfare troops to Russia last week. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government had intelligence information saying that 10,000 North Korean soldiers are preparing to join the invading Russian forces. 6South Korean lawmakers then said that intelligence chief Cho Tae-yong told them another 1,500 had entered Russia, with thousands more expected to follow. 7Park Sun-won, a member of a parliamentary intelligence committee, said after the briefing that troops seem to have gone to several training centers in Russia. They are "adapting to the local environment," Park added. 8South Korean intelligence officials also said that North Korea had sent more than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and other weapons to Russia since August 2023. 9The Ukraine conflict broke out when Russia invaded the country in February 2022. The war has largely been fought along the front lines in eastern Ukraine, with huge numbers of casualties on both sides. 10Austin said the North Korean deployment could be additional evidence that the Russian military was having problems with manpower. 11In the past, Russia has dismissed South Korea's claims about the North's troop deployment, calling it "fake news." And a North Korean representative to the United Nations in New York called the claims "groundless rumors" at a meeting on Monday. 12Both countries have also denied weapons transfers. But the two countries have agreed to increase military ties. And they signed a mutual defense treaty at a meeting in June. 13Lee Seong-kweun, another South Korean lawmaker, said intelligence officials confirmed that Russia had recruited a "large number" of interpreters for the North Korean soldiers. The Russians are also training the North Korean soldiers in the use of modern military weapons, such as drones. 14North Korea has 1.2 million troops - one of the largest standing armies in the world. But it has not fought in large conflicts since the 1950-1953 Korean War. 15Many experts question how much North Korean troops would help Russia, noting a shortage of battle experience. They say North Korea wants to get Russian economic support and wants its help to modernize the North's weapons systems. 16On Tuesday, South Korea's presidential office urged an immediate withdrawal of the North's troops from Russia. South Korean officials warned that it may consider supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine if military ties between Russia and North Korea went too far. 17I'm Ashley Thompson. 18Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on reporting from Reuters and The Associated Press. 19_________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21casualty - n. a person who is hurt or killed during war or accident 22manpower - n. the number of people available 23mutual - adj. shared between two or more people or groups 24recruit - v. to find suitable people to join organization or armed forces... 25interpreter - n. a person who translates words that someone is speaking from another language