UK media reports N.Korean troops 50 km from Ukraine’s border; Ukraine to use leaflets to urge frontline N.Korean troops to surrender; US, S.Korea concerned

The Financial Times has quoted a Ukrainian official as saying that North Korean troops in Russia are about 50 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.

The British newspaper quotes senior Ukrainian intelligence officials as saying that about 3,000 North Korean troops have been secretly transported in civilian trucks from Russia’s far east to its western Kursk region.

The report says the North Korean troops were housed on Monday in barracks about 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. It says only a few hundred of the 3,000 are special forces.

The report notes that Ukrainian officials have questioned the troops’ caliber and fighting capability, saying, “They have never fought in actual combat and their experience is very far from the reality of modern warfare.”

CNN says a small number of North Korean troops are already inside Ukraine, according to two western intelligence officials. But CNN adds that the United States cannot yet confirm the reports.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service says some North Korean troops may have been moved to the battlefront in Ukraine. The international community is stepping up vigilance against the troops’ movements.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui is expected to arrive in Moscow on Wednesday for talks with senior Russian officials including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The focus is on what kind of discussions will be held to advance cooperation between the two countries.

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin had no plans to meet Choe.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian government official has said will use leaflets to urge North Korean soldiers in Russia to surrender if they are sent to the frontline to fight against Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities recently released a video targeting North Koreans. It says Ukraine will offer prisoners of war three meals a day.

Vitaliy Matvienko, a spokesperson for the project noted that Russia is trying to involve other countries as its military is running out of personnel for mobilization.

The spokesperson called Moscow’s attempt a “small threat” and said it “will not succeed.”

Matvienko said that if North Korean soldiers are sent to the frontline, Ukraine will drop leaflets in the Korean language with the message: “Do you want to live? Surrender.”

He also said if North Koreans become prisoners of war, Ukraine would use them as a bargaining chip for exchanges with captured Ukrainian soldiers.

The defense ministers of the US and South Korea have shared concerns over North Korean troops deployed to Russia. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the development underscores the importance of the US alliance with Seoul and other partners.

Austin met with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Yong-hyun. He told reporters after the meeting: “We shared our deep concerns about the deployment of DPRK troops to Russia. We also discussed how we’re going to work together with our allies and partners to respond to the dangerous and destabilizing escalation.”

Austin added that they have confirmed North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment.

Kim said there is a high chance that, in return for the deployment, North Korea would ask Russia for technology transfers for their programs of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Austin and Kim say they have agreed on several initiatives to deepen cooperation on extended deterrence.