(NewsNation) — A top Republican is calling for direct United States military action if North Korean troops enter Ukraine.
At least 3,000 North Korean troops are in Russia, training to potentially join the war in Ukraine. That number could grow to 10,000 by the end of the year, according to Ukraine and South Korea.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the presence of North Korean troops.
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President Joe Biden’s administration says there is a “highly concerning probability” North Korean troops could enter the battlefield. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, head of the House Intelligence Committee, believes the U.S. should take direct military action if that happens.
“If North Korean troops were to invade Ukraine’s sovereign territory, the United States needs to seriously consider taking direct military action against the North Korean troops,” he said.
North Korean troops in Russia
About 3,000 North Korean troops traveled by ship this month to Vladivostok in Russia before heading to three different Russian military sites for training.
Potential US response
The troops’ mission is unclear. South Korea’s intelligence leader told lawmakers that soldiers are receiving training on drones and other equipment before possibly deploying to the front lines.
If this happens, the U.S. says those troops will be legitimate targets.
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Turner said North Korean troops entering the war would be a red line. He’s pushing against U.S. restrictions that prevent Ukraine from using long-range weapons against Russia.
“I have long challenged the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwise position on restricting Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons against targets within Russian territory,” Turner said. “If North Korean troops attack Ukraine from Russian territory, Ukraine should be permitted to use American weapons to respond.”
South Korea ‘won’t sit idle’
South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday raised the possibility of supplying Ukraine with weapons while stressing that his government “won’t sit idle” if North Korea is involved in Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.
Yoon recently met with Polish President Andrzej Duda to talk about expanding defense cooperation between the countries amid the ongoing conflict.
Poland has signed a series of arms deals with South Korea in the last two years to acquire tanks, howitzers and missile launchers to bolster its military capabilities following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Yoon said South Korea will work with allies and partners to prepare countermeasures that could be rolled out in stages depending on the degree of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Seoul’s steps could potentially include sending weapons to Ukraine, which would mark a departure from a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflict, Yoon said. He said North Korea’s alleged troop deployment to Russia is a “provocation that threatens global security beyond just the Korean Peninsula and Europe.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
