U.S. Department of Defense: “North Korean military is a legal target of attack during war… “There may be additional troops dispatched.”

The U.S. Department of Defense warned that North Korean troops deployed to Russia would become legitimate targets of attack if they were deployed to the battlefield. He also said that although the North Korean military has not yet dispatched additional troops, there is a possibility. Reporter Ahn So-young reports.

U.S. Department of Defense Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on the 7th that North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia are legitimate targets when deployed to the battlefield.

[녹취: 싱 부대변인]” I mean the Ukrainians are operating within Kursk they’re holding that their lines. We fully expect that DPRK soldiers could be engaged in combat and if they are, they are legitimate targets. So we’ve been pretty public about.”

At a briefing that day, Deputy Spokesperson Singh was asked, “Do you agree with the Ukrainian president’s statement that the United States needs a preemptive strike against North Korean forces?” to which Deputy Spokesperson Singh explained, “Ukrainian troops are operating in Kursk and guarding the defensive line.”

“We fully anticipate that North Korean forces could engage in combat (with Ukrainian forces),” he said, adding, “If that happens, they are a legitimate target of attack,” and “we have been talking about this quite openly.”

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on the social networking service Telegram on the 2nd, “We know where North Korean soldiers are located in Russia, and if given the opportunity, we will be able to preemptively strike them.”

He said, “But instead of allowing long-range attacks, the United States, Britain, and Germany are simply watching the movements of the North Korean military.”

“The engagement between North Korean and Ukrainian troops cannot be confirmed… “There is a possibility.”

Deputy Spokesperson Singh also responded to a request to confirm reports that North Korean troops engaged in combat with Ukrainian troops, saying, “We cannot confirm the reports right now, and it is a matter we are currently investigating.”

He continued, “I said that there is a high possibility that North Korean soldiers will engage in combat given that they are in Kursk,” and added, “You will see that North Korean soldiers who have moved to Kursk will begin or have already begun engaging in combat with Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield.”

[녹취: 싱 부대변인] “I can’t corroborate those reports right now, it’s something that we’re looking into, but I have no doubt that you know, you will see DPRK soldiers that have moved into that Kursk start to engage or have already started to engage Ukrainians on the battlefield”

In addition, regarding the circumstances of the additional deployment of North Korean troops, he said, “As far as I know, no additional soldiers have been dispatched from North Korea,” but added, “It is definitely possible.”

“It is clear that Putin has fallen into despair after failing to achieve his strategic battlefield objectives,” he said, adding, “This is an issue we must continue to monitor.”

Regarding the conflicting assessments between the U.S. and South Korean governments regarding the scale of North Korea’s troop deployment, Deputy Spokesperson Singh explained, “The numbers may vary depending on the evaluation of (each country’s) intelligence authorities and the methods of obtaining and collecting data.”

[녹취: 싱 부대변인] “Numbers can range based on INTEL assessments and how we get data and collect data.And we certainly take what the Ukrainians or our ROK ounterparts have provided and we do our own assessments as well. Right now we’ve assessed that there’s probably between 10 and 11,000 DPRK soldiers within Kursk.”

Deputy Spokesperson Singh continued, “Ukraine is conducting its own evaluation based on the information provided by South Korea,” and confirmed, “Currently, the number of North Korean troops in Kursk is estimated to be around 10,000 to 11,000.”

“Information is not always black and white,” he said, adding, “We do our best to extract information, and we do our best to disseminate what we know when we share it.”

This is Ahn So-young from VOA News.