North Korean troops sent to help the Russian army invade Ukraine will be ‘cannon fodder’, the Pentagon claims.
During a press conference Tuesday, a reporter pressed the Pentagon press secretary, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, to comment on rumors that the North Korean Construction and Engineering Corps is about to invade Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ryder did not dispute the possibility of North Korean military entry into the region, saying it was “certainly something to keep an eye on.”
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“I think if I were in charge of North Korean military personnel, I would question my choices about sending my troops as cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine,” Ryder said.
South Korean channel TV Chosun first reported that North Korea planned to send the engineering corps to occupied Ukraine, citing a South Korean official.
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Earlier this month, Russia signed a defense pact with North Korea that obliges both countries to defend each other against military opponents “without delay.”
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“If either Party finds itself in a situation of war as a result of an armed invasion from an individual country or several nations, the other Party shall promptly provide military and other assistance by mobilizing all the resources at its disposal,” the agreement said.
South Korean officials have been outspokenly critical of the pact, characterizing it as a direct threat to their national security.
No explicit agreement was published on North Korean involvement in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, but President Vladimir Putin thanked Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un for his “unwavering support” in the conflict.
Putin’s regime has long tried to spread the narrative that the invasion of Ukraine is a defensive war, retaking territory that rightfully belongs to Russia.
This characterization – accepted by the Kim regime – could open the door to justifying North Korean involvement under the mutual defense pact.
A person in South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office previously told the press that South Korea will consider supplying weapons to Ukraine in political retaliation after the pact.
Original article source: The Pentagon threatens that North Korean soldiers will be “cannon fodder” if they are sent to help Russia in Ukraine
