As many as 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s western front-line Kursk region and are expected to enter into combat “in the coming days”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, warning that they would become “legitimate” military targets.

Blinken made the remarks on Thursday during a press conference after he, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun held their “two-plus-two” meeting at the State Department in Washington, Yonhap news agency reported.

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The meeting underscored the two countries’ close security coordination just a day after North Korea fired what appeared to be a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), ratcheting up tensions just days ahead of the US presidential election set for Tuesday.

“We now assess that there are some 10,000 North Korean soldiers in total in Russia, and the most recent information indicates that as many as 8,000 of those North Korean forces have been deployed to the Kursk Region,” Blinken said.

“We’ve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days,” he added.

The secretary pointed out that Russia has been training North Korean troops in artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that Moscow “fully” intends to use the soldiers in front-line operations.

“Should these troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would become legitimate military targets,” he said.

Austin also warned against North Korean troops’ potential entry into combat.

“We are consulting closely with our allies and partners in other countries in the region on these reckless developments and on our response,” he said without elaboration.

During the press conference, Kim noted that North Korea has so far sent some 1,000 missiles and “millions of artillery rounds — a figure close to 10 million” — to Russia.

Blinken highlighted that a reason why Russia is turning to North Korean troops is that it is “desperate”.

“Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he’s turning to North Korean troops, and that is a clear sign of weakness,” he said.

“Russia’s been suffering some 1,200 casualties a day in the east, more than at any other time during the war, and with the deployment of these North Korean troops to Russia and now to the front lines, this is the first time in 100 years that Russia has invited foreign troops into its country,” Blinken added.

Asked to comment on China’s role regarding North Korean activities, the South Korean Defence Minister anticipated that though Beijing has been in a “wait-and-see” mode, it could play “some sort of role” at a time when the situation worsens and undermines its interests.