STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The Secretary General of NATO says the alliance now has confirmation that North Korea sent soldiers to help Russia fight against Ukraine. We've been discussing this for some days - reports that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers had made it to Russia. And today high-ranking South Korean officials shared their evidence with all 32 NATO allies. And now we have this news that they're actually in the fight in Ukraine. Teri Schultz is covering this from NATO headquarters in Brussels. Welcome back.
TERI SCHULTZ, BYLINE: Hi, Steve.
INSKEEP: How concerned are NATO leaders about this?
SCHULTZ: They're very worried, and their Asia Pacific partners who were invited to this briefing with the South Koreans are very worried as well. Secretary General Mark Rutte came out of this briefing demanding that Russia and North Korea stop their collaboration, he said, for the sake of global security. Now, Rutte says the proof that they now have that thousands of North Korean soldiers have been deployed in Russia represents what he called a dangerous expansion of the war on Moscow's part and a significant escalation in North Korea's role in that war. Here's part of what he told us.
MARK RUTTE: Pyongyang has already supplied Russia with millions of rounds of ammunition and ballistic missiles that are fueling a major conflict in the heart of Europe and undermining global peace and security.
SCHULTZ: Rutte also criticized Russia for providing North Korea with military technology and other benefits that help the regime circumvent international sanctions.
INSKEEP: OK. I understand that, but I'm wondering how much of a difference it even makes if you have 3,000 North Korean soldiers in such a large war.
SCHULTZ: Yeah. Taken as part of Russia's fighting force that's hundreds of thousands of soldiers, it doesn't seem like a lot. That's true. But Ukraine says there are signs already that up to 12,000 North Koreans are being trained for this purpose. And the concern is that there could be many more North Koreans who could be deployed while Ukraine is struggling to recruit more of its own people to the frontline.
INSKEEP: OK, OK. So this is a game of numbers. It's a war of attrition, and Russia now gets this added source of soldiers. What are the stakes here?
SCHULTZ: Well, these North Korean troops are already said to be deployed on the frontline in Russia's Kursk region. Now, you'll remember that's where Ukraine seized some territory in August, which gave it some leverage, and Russia wants to reverse that. But there are other concerns. North Korean troops getting battlefield experience, which they haven't had since 1953 is very disturbing for South Korea, the country most worried about an attack from North Korea, as well as for other Western partners in the region.
And then there's the point that nobody knows what else Russia and North Korea might increasingly be exchanging. As you heard earlier, NATO Secretary General Rutte has said millions of rounds of ballistic missiles and ammunition have gone from North Korea to Russia, and that's more than I've heard them mention officially before. And there's the big question as to exactly what military technology Moscow might share with Pyongyang, especially regarding nuclear know-how. The two countries just signed a mutual defense treaty, so basically anything could be thrown in there now.
INSKEEP: OK. What can NATO do about any of this?
SCHULTZ: Well, you've probably already heard most of what they can do. They make a statement insisting that Russia and North Korea stop this collaboration, which probably isn't going to have much of an impact. They'll discuss more amongst themselves as to how to increase their own security. And perhaps more importantly, South Korean intelligence officials are also briefing EU ambassadors. And there are sanctions over on the EU side of town. We've also heard that South Korea might start directly providing weapons to Ukraine for the first time. And that could really be a significant difference for Ukraine.
INSKEEP: Teri Schultz at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Thanks so much.
SCHULTZ: Sure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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