Seoul [South Korea], October 30: A small group of North Korean soldiers is believed to be in Ukraine, and US President Joe Biden said Kyiv forces had the right to attack in that case.
CNN on October 29 quoted two Western intelligence officials as saying that a small number of North Korean soldiers have entered Ukrainian territory and are expected to increase as Pyongyang's troops complete training in eastern Russia to head to the front lines.
Earlier, NATO and the Pentagon confirmed that about 10,000 North Korean soldiers were training in eastern Russia and some were on their way to Russia's Kursk province, where Ukrainian forces have been present since early August.
The presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine is a step further than that. "It appears that many of them [North Korean soldiers] have started to act," one official said.
A US official admitted that the US could not verify information that North Korean troops had entered Ukraine. North Korea and Russia did not immediately comment.
Previously, regarding the information about North Korean soldiers in Russia, President Vladimir Putin said the two countries have a mutual defense cooperation agreement and how to implement it is the right of both sides.
At a press conference on October 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov answered a question about the possibility of the West deploying troops to Ukraine in response to North Korea's support for Russia: "Western military personnel have been operating in Ukraine for a long time. It is part of the hybrid war that NATO and the European Union are building against our country and we know it well."
Responding to a press interview on October 29 about information that North Korean soldiers were present in Russia's Kursk province, US President Joe Biden said that Ukraine would be allowed to fire back if they crossed the border, according to Reuters.
"I'm concerned about that," Biden said of reports of North Korean troops crossing the border. Asked if Ukraine should strike back, the leader replied: "If [North Korean troops] go into Ukraine, yes."
US and South Korean diplomatic and military officials are meeting in Washington DC this week to discuss the deployment, as well as North Korea's expanding ties with Russia.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
