Russia may use North Korean troops for combat operations: Pentagon

SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - A "relatively small number" of North Korean soldiers are now in Kursk, a Russian territory occupied by Ukraine, with another 2,000 troops in eastern Russia moving toward the Ukraine border, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. "We remain concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Kursk," Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder told reporters during a press briefing. But

October 30, 2024

North Korean foreign minister travels to Russia amid deepening military ties

SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui left for Russia, Pyongyang's official state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday. Her trip comes amid mounting evidence of North Korean troops being deployed in Russian border areas to support its war in Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Pyongyang also confirmed that Choe's latest visit marks her third trip to Russia this year for "strategic dialogue" between the two close al

October 29, 2024

Zelensky warns of 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia 'soon'

SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - Some 12,000 North Korean troops are expected to be deployed in Russian territory "soon," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday. Zelensky, who is in Iceland to attend a summit with Nordic leaders, also said some 3,000 North Korean officers and soldiers are "already on Russian territory." "We think that they will have 12,000 soon," he said. There were also signs indicating that Russian aircraft were transportin

October 29, 2024

North Korea renews drone accusations against Seoul

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - North Korea reiterated its accusations against South Korea on Monday, claiming that the South had infiltrated its airspace with a drone incursion. According to Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean military found that the drone carrying propaganda leaflets, which crashed in Pyongyang earlier this month, took off from South Korea's westernmost island of Baeknyeong Island. It said its assessment came after analyzing the

October 28, 2024

Russia 'transporting North Korean troops' to battlefield

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - North Korean troops are expected to be deployed to the battlefield as early as this week. Russia is "transporting North Korean soldiers to the front lines via trucks," the Kyiv Independent reported last Sunday, citing a source from the Main Directorate of Intelligence . "Russian police officers on Oct. 27 stopped a Kamaz truck with civilian license plates on the Kursk-Voronezh highway," the Ukraine English-language online newspaper sa

October 28, 2024

Top security officials of South Korea, US, Japan discuss NK troop deployment to Russia

SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - Top national security officials from South Korea, the United States, and Japan expressed deep concern on Saturday about North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia. In a trilateral meeting in Washington D.C., South Korean National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Japanese National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba discussed the issue, along with other regional security matters. "The national securit

October 26, 2024

North Korean troops in Russia are Moscow's 'business,' Putin says

SEOUL, October 25 (AJP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday tacitly admitted to North Korea's alleged troop deployment to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, describing the matter as Moscow's "business." The Kremlin had previously dismissed reports of North Korean troop deployment as "fake news." When asked about satellite images showing North Korean troops' movements at the BRICS summit in Kazan, he said, "Images are a serious th

October 25, 2024

Activities spotted at North Korea's demolished inter-Korean road site

SEOUL, October 24 (AJP) - North Korea is apparently working on the construction of unidentified structures along the northern part of the inter-Korean roads it blew up last week, military authorities here said on Thursday. Surveillance equipment along the border areas has detected North Koreans cleaning debris and installing these structures which appear to be walls or concrete barriers. The demolished roads near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) along the Gyeongui and Donghae

October 24, 2024

US expresses concern over North Korean troops in Russia

SEOUL, October 24 (AJP) - The U.S. confirmed on Wednesday that North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, about a week after the allegations first surfaced. Speaking at the G7 Defense Ministers Meeting in Rome, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the U.S. has found evidence of North Korean troops being sent to Russia. "What exactly they're doing will have to be seen. These are things that we need to sort out. We'll have

October 24, 2024

Kim Jong-un inspects missile base, citing growing US nuclear threat

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a missile base for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), state media said on Wednesday. "The U.S. strategic nuclear means pose ever-increasing threat to the security environment of more definitely bolster its war deterrence and take a thorough and strict counteraction posture of the nuclear forces," Pyongyang's Korea Cent

October 23, 2024