Pyongyang sent troops to Russia, says US Defence Secretary

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said there was evidence that North Korea has sent troops to Russia on Monday, and South Korea’s spy chief told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean troops were in the country receiving training on drones and other equipment before being deployed to battlefields in Ukraine.

Austin told reporters Wednesday “What exactly they are doing? Left to be seen. These are things that we need to sort out,” according to a video posted by the Washington Post.

If the troops join the war in Ukraine on Russia’s side, it will be “a very, very serious issue,” Austin said, adding it would have an impact in Europe and in the Indo-Pacific region.

South Korean intelligence first publicised reports that the Russian navy had taken 1,500 North Korean special warfare troops to Russia last week, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea soldiers were being prepared to join the invading Russian forces.

The US and NATO had not previously formally confirmed North Korea’s reported troop dispatch, but have warned of the danger of such a development if true.