North Korea's top diplomat set to hold talks in Moscow amid reports of troop deployment

North Korea’s apical diplomat is group to clasp talks successful Moscow pursuing reports that Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s action successful Ukraine

MOSCOW -- MOSCOW (AP) — North Korea's apical diplomat is group to clasp talks successful Moscow connected Wednesday pursuing reports that Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its action successful Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui's presence followed nan Pentagon's connection that North Korea has deployed about 10,000 troops to Russia to conflict against Ukraine wrong “the adjacent respective weeks.”

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, nan Pentagon property secretary, said Tuesday that a “relatively mini number” of North Korean troops are now successful nan Kursk region, wherever Russia has struggled to push backmost a Ukrainian incursion, adding that it’s yet to beryllium seen really Moscow and Pyongyang will usage them.

Western leaders person described nan North Korean unit deployment arsenic a important escalation that could besides jolt relations successful nan Indo-Pacific region.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang person specified nan schedule for Choe's talks successful Moscow, but successful a closed-door proceeding astatine South Korea’s parliament, nan South’s spy agency said Choe whitethorn beryllium progressive successful high-level discussions connected sending further troops to Russia and negotiating what nan North would get successful return.

South Korean and Western officials person voiced interest that Russia whitethorn connection exertion that could beforehand nan threat posed by North Korea’s atomic weapons and rocket program.

Moscow and Pyongyang person responded vaguely to South Korean and Western claims of nan North Korean unit deployment to Russia, emphasizing that their subject practice conforms pinch world law, without straight admitting nan beingness of nan North’s forces successful Russia.

The U.S. and its friends besides person accused North Korea of providing millions of artillery shells and different instrumentality to Russia to substance its subject action successful Ukraine.

Russia, on pinch China, has blocked U.S.-led efforts astatine nan Security Council to tighten sanctions connected North Korea complete its caller rocket testing, which intensified aft Russia’s penetration of Ukraine successful 2022. Russia besides vetoed a U.N. resolution to widen nan instruction of monitors successful March, successful a move that efficaciously abolished oversight by U.N. experts of Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

In a telephone speech Tuesday pinch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said deepening subject practice betwixt North Korea and Russia could airs a “major information threat” to Seoul if nan North gains entree to Russian exertion and its troops get combat experience.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol past week raised nan anticipation of supplying Ukraine pinch weapons while saying Seoul is preparing countermeasures that could beryllium rolled retired successful stages depending connected nan grade of subject practice betwixt Pyongyang and Moscow.

South Korea, a increasing arms exporter, has provided humanitarian assistance and different non-lethal support to Ukraine and joined U.S.-led economical sanctions against Moscow. It has truthful acold resisted calls by Kyiv and NATO to straight proviso Ukraine pinch weapons, citing a longstanding argumentation of not providing arms to countries engaged successful progressive conflict.