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U.S. dismisses doubts about South Korean intel on North Korea’s troop support for Russia

Published: 23 Oct. 2024, 10:10

Vedant Patel, the State Department's deputy spokesperson, speaks during a press briefing on Tuesday at the department in Washington. [YONHAP]

A State Department spokesperson on Tuesday rejected the notion of the United States having a lack of confidence in South Korea's intelligence confirming North Korea's troop dispatch to support Russia's war against Ukraine, as a cautious Washington has yet to confirm it.

Last week, Seoul's spy agency confirmed the North has decided to send around 12,000 troops to support Russia, including some 1,500 soldiers that it has already begun deploying. However, the U.S. has not confirmed this, stoking suspicion that there could be a gap in intelligence analysis between the allies.

"It is not at all about confidence [in South Korean intelligence]. Of course, we have a close and important partnership with our ROK partners," Vedant Patel, the department's deputy spokesperson, said, using the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

"When we are speaking on behalf of the United States and certainly, I am up here as a U.S. official speaking on these things, we want to make sure to have the most up-to-date and accurate assessment to offer you," he added.
Patel stressed that a process is still underway to verify reports of the North's troop dispatch.

"The United States has its own processes in place and our own assessments that we need to make before we can publicly say that we are seeing anything as it relates to a particularly policy area," he said.

"It is not at all a reflection of any country, whether it be the ROK or otherwise. It is not a reflection of that at all."

Asked if there are any discussions underway over what measures would be taken in response to the North's deployment, Patel refused to comment.

He reiterated that if true, the North's deployment to back Russia would be "incredibly dangerous."

"If it's true that DPRK soldiers are joining Putin's war against Ukraine, it certainly would mark a dangerous and highly concerning development," he said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"We are, of course, going to continue to consult with our allies and partners on the implications of such a dramatic move [that] certainly if true, would be another reckless and dangerous action both on the side of Russia, but of course on the side of the DPRK as well."

Yonhap