The US has said that any North Korean soldiers joining Russia’s war against Ukraine would be “fair targets”.
The White House also said it believes that around 3,000 North Korean soldiers are currently undergoing military training in Russia.
Last week, video images appeared on social media channels purportedly showing North Korean soldiers being put through their paces at an army base in Sergeevka in Russia’s Far East.
The footage emerged days after South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) claimed Pyongyang was planning to send up to 12,000 troops to Russia.
Further videos have since been published allegedly showing more of Kim Jong un’s soldiers undergoing training, as well as photo of a North Korean flag raised in the Pokrovsk region of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the White House spokesman John Kirby said the US believed the North Korean soldiers were transported by ship in early-to-mid October from the Wonsan region to Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast.
He said the troops were then taken to three training bases in eastern Russia, presumably to prepare for combat.
“If they do deploy to fight against Ukraine, they’re fair game,” he said.
“They’re fair targets and the Ukrainian military will defend themselves against North Korean soldiers the same way they’re defending themselves against Russian soldiers.”
The Russian army has suffered catastrophic casualties since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to Western estimates, Vladimir Putin’s army has lost just over 600,000 soldiers – up to 115,000 killed and 500,000 wounded.
Some experts believe that Putin’s need to call on manpower from Pyongyang shows the Kremlin is struggling to find domestic recruits for its war.
The US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the presence of Kim’s soldiers in Russia could have worldwide ramifications.
“If they’re co-belligerents, if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf, that is a very, very serious issue,” he said.
“It will have impacts, not only in Europe. It will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well.”
South Korea has reacted with fury to the deployment and has indicated it may begin to supply military weapons to Ukraine.