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| ▲ U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun at the Pentagon on Oct. 30, 2024. (Yonhap) |
Austin-NK troop deployment
Austin notes 'good' likelihood of N.K. troops being introduced into combat
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday pointed to a "good" likelihood that North Korean troops will enter into combat to support Russia's war in Ukraine, as he stressed Russian President Vladimir Putin is outsourcing for foreign forces due to heavy troop losses.
During a press conference, Austin also noted that Pyongyang has sent around 10,000 troops to train in eastern Russia with some of them having already moved closer to Ukraine, and that North Korean personnel have been provided with Russian uniforms and equipment.
"They're doing this because Putin has lost a lot of troops, and he has a choice of either getting other people to help him or he can mobilize. He does not want to mobilize because then the people in Russia will begin to understand the extent of their losses," Austin said after his talks with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
"So, there's a good likelihood that these troops will be introduced into combat, not certain. But this is not a sign of strength. It's a sign of weakness. Putin has not achieved one strategic objective in two and an half years against a force that was far inferior to his force," he added.
Austin warned that Putin will not prevail even with more help from North Korea.
"But these deeply concerning developments only underscore the importance of our alliance with the ROK and other allies and partners committed to shared security and prosperity," he said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
He made a call for the North Korean leadership to withdraw its forces from Russia, while pointing out the potential for the North's troop dispatch to broaden the armed conflict in Ukraine.
"Yes, it could encourage others to take action, different kinds of action, but I won't speculate on what could exactly happen, but there is a number of things that can happen," he said.
He call on the North to cease its "potentially destabilizing behavior in both the Indo-Pacific region and now in the European theater as well."
Addressing a question about what could happen if North Korean troops are killed in action with U.S.-provided weapons, Austin reiterated that Ukrainian soldiers have the right to defend themselves.
"They will do that with the weapons that we provided, others have provided. That's to be expected," he said.
"But if they are fighting alongside of Russian soldiers, they are co-belligerents, and you have every reason to believe that ... they will be killed and wounded as a result of that."
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