Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi has expressed deep concern over reports of North Korean Troops Deployed to Russia for potential involvement in the Ukraine war, Kyodo News reports.
North Korea has been supplying Russia with artillery, missiles, and munitions for its war in Ukraine. According to reports from Ukraine and South Korea, 3,000 North Korean soldiers, including special forces, are training in Russia’s Far East. These troops are expected to reinforce Russia’s depleted forces amid ongoing losses along the front, including in Kursk Oblast.
“The government is closely monitoring North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia, including the potential participation of these forces in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Yoshimasa Hayashi.
He further noted that the recent deepening of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow is cause for concern, particularly because of its impact on security in the region near Japan.
Hayashi also mentioned that his country will work with other states to help achieve a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Previously, Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence said North Korean units arrived in Russia’s Kursk Oblast to aid Moscow in counterattacking Ukrainian forces in the region.
Ukrainian intelligence officials revealed that the training of North Korean soldiers was taking place at five military bases in the eastern part of Russia—Baranovsky, Donguz, Yekaterinoslavsky, the 248th, and 249th.
As per Ukraine’s estimates, the number of transferred North Korean troops currently stands at around 12,000, including 500 officers and three generals from Pyongyang.
Related:
- Kyodo: 2,000 North Korean soldiers move to Russia’s Kursk Oblast near Ukraine, Ukrainian military source says
- North Korea isolates families of soldiers sent to Russia, conceals deployment domestically
- Russia repurposes nuclear forces personnel as infantry amid manpower shortages
- White House confirms North Korea sent 3,000 troops to Russia for military training
- South Korea’s response to North Korean troops in Russia may include arms transfers
