The US and South Korean defense ministers called on North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia, while the US envoy to the UN, Robert Wood, strongly warned that if Pyongyang's forces entered Ukraine, they would "certainly come back in coffins".
Washington claims that 10.000 North Korean troops have been sent for potential action against Ukrainian forces. Russia and North Korea have deepened their political and military alliances during the war in Ukraine, but sending North Korean troops to fight Kiev's forces would mark a significant escalation that has sparked widespread international concern.
"I call on them to withdraw their troops from Russia," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the Pentagon on Wednesday, repeating a call he made at a joint appearance with his South Korean counterpart Kim Jong-hyun, the Guardian reports.
The White House has said Pyongyang's forces would become "legitimate military targets" if they fight Ukraine, and Austin reiterated that position on Wednesday.
North Korean troops would be "complicit in the combat, and there is every reason to believe that ... they will be killed and wounded as a result of the combat," he added.
Speaking before the UN Security Council, Wood issued an even more explicit warning, saying that if forces from Pyongyang "go into Ukraine in support of Russia, they will surely come back in coffins."
"I would advise President Kim Jong Un to think twice before engaging in such reckless and dangerous behavior," Wood added.
Although he called for a withdrawal, Austin said there was a high probability that Moscow would still go ahead with the plans.
South Korean Minister Kim, speaking through an interpreter, said he believed North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia could lead to an escalation of security threats on the Korean Peninsula. That's because there's a good chance Pyongyang will request the transfer of technology from Russia to support its military programs — including tactical nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles and reconnaissance satellites — in exchange for committing its forces, he said.
However, he did not announce a change in Seoul's long-standing policy of banning arms sales in active war zones, including Ukraine - a position he has stuck to despite calls from Washington and Kiev to review the ban.
"Nothing has been decided at the moment," Kim said when asked if there were plans for South Korea to indirectly supply ammunition to Ukraine.
The US and South Korean warnings came as North Korea tested what US officials describe as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The Japanese government said the rocket reached a maximum altitude of more than 7.000 km - a record altitude - and flew for an incredible hour and 26 minutes.
The Pentagon announced the previous day that a small number of North Korean troops had already been deployed in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been conducting a ground offensive since August.
A Ukrainian official told The Associated Press that North Korean troops are now stationed 50 kilometers from Ukraine's border with Russia. The official was not authorized to release this information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny the presence of North Korean troops in his country, but also refused to confirm it.
Russian UN envoy Vasiliy Nebenzija said on Wednesday that troops from Pyongyang are not present on the front lines, calling any claims to the contrary blatant lies and accusing Washington and London of disinformation.
Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary General of the UN for Europe, pointed out that the UN is following the reports about the North Korean deployment in Russia with serious concern, but that it cannot independently confirm them.
Pyongyang has denied sending troops to Russia, but North Korea's deputy foreign minister said that if such a deployment were to occur, it would be in line with global norms.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui was in Moscow on Wednesday for "strategic talks" with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, while Wang Yi - the top diplomat of China, Pyongyang's main ally - was in Beijing to discuss the Ukraine crisis with Russia's deputy foreign minister.
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