Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, made the remarks as Seoul and Washington have confirmed that North Korean troops have begun engaging in combat operations in Russia’s western front-line Kursk region despite concerns that their involvement could expand the war in Ukraine.
“The DPRK’s involvement in such a thing, no doubt, causes great concern and consternation for the Indo-Pacific region,” Patel told a press briefing, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“And so part of this is working on this collaboratively with our partners in Japan and the Republic of Korea as well,” he added. The Republic of Korea is South Korea’s official name.
During a meeting with reporters in Brussels earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that North Korean troops are “quite literally” in combat against Ukrainian forces, and stressed that the deployment calls for a “firm” response.
The North’s troop deployment has been a source of growing security concerns for the United States, South Korea and other countries as it underlines a deepening military partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow, which many believe will have broad security implications for Europe, the Indo-Pacific and the world.
Yonhap
