Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun hold a press conference at the Pentagon on October 30, 2024. (Madelyn Keech/Department of Defense)

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that North Korean troops are equipped with Russian uniforms and equipment as they move from training in eastern Russia to the region of Kursk, near the border with Ukraine.

Austin told Pentagon reporters that there was a high probability that North Korean troops would be used in combat and could potentially widen the war in Ukraine, which has raged since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.

“We remain concerned about them using these troops in combat,” he said at a news conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. “This is something that we will continue to monitor and we will continue to work with our allies and partners to discourage Russia from employing these troops in combat.”

Pentagon officials reported earlier in the week that 10,000 North Korean troops were training in eastern Russia, and that a small number of them were already in Kursk with around 2,000 additional soldiers heading towards the Ukrainian border.

Austin acknowledged that the participation of North Korean troops in the fighting in Ukraine could encourage other countries to act. But he did not give details.

Kim suggested that South Korea should consider sending observers and analysts to Ukraine.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin walks with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun before a U.S.-Republic of Korea security consultative meeting at the Pentagon on October 30, 2024. (Alexander Kubitza/Department of Defense)

North Korean troops deployed in Russia have sparked concern among world leaders over what Moscow might offer Pyongyang in return.

Kim said there was a “great chance” that in exchange for sending troops to fight Ukraine, North Korea would ask Russia for technological help to advance its tactical nuclear weapons, missiles intercontinental ballistic missiles, its reconnaissance satellites and its missile submarines.

“I think this could lead to an escalation of security threats on the Korean Peninsula,” Kima said. However, he did not believe that the North Korean deployment would lead to war on the peninsula.

Austin and Kim called on North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia.

“They are doing this because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin lost a lot of soldiers,” Austin said. “He has the choice between getting help from other people or mobilizing. And he doesn’t want to mobilize, because that’s when the Russian population will begin to understand the extent of their losses.”

More than 600,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured since Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine, according to Pentagon officials. said earlier this month. The estimate represents a sharp increase from estimates earlier this year of around 350,000.

“(Putin) can end this war. He should end this war,” Austin said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin to host ROK Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Kim on Thursday for the 6th U.S.-ROK Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting .