U.S. Defense "Whether North Korean troops will be deployed"...Kim Yong-hyun, "I urge you to withdraw your dispatch."

The U.S. Department of Defense says North Korean troops sent to Russia have moved toward Ukraine, but it remains to be seen whether they will be deployed in actual combat.U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a joint press conference after the South Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting on Thursday local time that some of the North's 10,000 troops sent to eastern Russia for training had moved to the Kursk region, close to Ukraine.

Asked when he expected North Korean troops to be deployed to combat in Kursk, he said he was increasingly concerned about the possibility, saying, "We have to see if they will be deployed to the battlefield."

He also explained that the North Korean military wore Russian military uniforms and was provided with Russian equipment.

"Russian President Putin will not win Ukraine even if he gets more help from North Korea," Austin continued. "This very worrying development only highlights the importance of South Korea and our alliance."

At the meeting, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said the deployment of North Korean troops is expected to raise security threats on the Korean Peninsula.

He then urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to withdraw his dispatch of North Korean troops.