(Bloomberg) -- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Russia risks widening the Ukraine conflict, as allies seek to discourage Moscow and Pyongyang from deploying the soldiers in battle.
The deployment of about 10,000 North Korean troops risks “lengthening or broadening the conflict,” Austin told reporters Wednesday at a news conference with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Yong-hyun.
The presence of North Korean troops could “encourage others to take action, different kinds of action” in support of Ukraine, Austin said. He declined to speculate on what that might entail.
In return for sending troops, there’s a “high chance” that North Korea will seek cutting-edge technology transfers from Russia — including those related to tactical nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites and ballistic missile submarines, South Korea’s Kim said.
Pyongyang is also likely to seek to replace its old equipment, Kim said, adding that could increase security threats on the Korean peninsula. He said that he doesn’t see an increased risk of war breaking out there.
Austin said some of the troops — outfitted with Russian uniforms and equipment — have moved closer to Ukraine. He said he was “increasingly concerned” that the Kremlin plans to use the soldiers to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.
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