US, Japanese, South Korean Aides Express Grave Concern Over North Korean Troops

26/10/2024 6:18

        The U.S., South Korean and Japanese national security advisers expressed "grave concern" on Friday over the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia for possible use against Ukraine, the White House said.
        
        The trio see the North Korean troop presence as the latest sign of growing Moscow-Pyongyang military ties, and they called on Russia and North Korea to cease arms and missile transfers, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
        
        The transfers violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, he said.
        
        Kirby briefed reporters after U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan held talks in Washington with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Shin Won-sik and Takeo Akiba, respectively.
        
        "The national security advisers express grave concern over troop deployments" by North Korea in Russia, "potentially for use against Ukraine," Kirby said.
        
        The North Koreans' presence in Russia and the weapons transfers "expand the security implications of Russia's brutal and illegal war beyond Europe and into the Indo-Pacific," he added.