VOA新闻杂志2024--US: North Korea Has Sent Troops to Russia

The United States said on Wednesday that it had seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia. And South Korean intelligence officials told lawmakers that about 3,000 soldiers had been sent to support Russia's war against Ukraine.

Speaking in Rome, Italy, U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia." DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

Austin said it would be "very, very serious" if the North Koreans were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Ukraine's government has claimed. However, the defense chief added that it remained to be seen what the North Korean soldiers are doing in Russia.

3000 troops sent to Russia

South Korean intelligence first reported that the Russian navy had taken 1,500 North Korean special warfare² troops to Russia last week. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government had intelligence information saying that 10,000 North Korean soldiers are preparing to join the invading Russian forces.

South Korean lawmakers then said that intelligence chief Cho Tae-yong told them another 1,500 had entered Russia, with thousands more expected to follow.

Park Sun-won, a member of a parliamentary intelligence committee, said after the briefing that troops seem to have gone to several training centers in Russia. They are "adapting to the local environment," Park added.

South Korean intelligence officials also said that North Korea had sent more than 13,000 containers of artillery³, missiles and other weapons to Russia since August 2023.

The Ukraine conflict broke out when Russia invaded the country in February 2022. The war has largely been fought along the front lines in eastern Ukraine, with huge numbers of casualties on both sides.

Austin said the North Korean deployment⁴ could be additional evidence that the Russian military was having problems with manpower.

In the past, Russia has dismissed South Korea's claims about the North's troop deployment, calling it "fake news." And a North Korean representative to the United Nations in New York called the claims "groundless rumors⁵" at a meeting on Monday.

Both countries have also denied weapons transfers. But the two countries have agreed to increase military ties. And they signed a mutual⁶ defense treaty at a meeting in June.

Lee Seong-kweun, another South Korean lawmaker, said intelligence officials confirmed that Russia had recruited a "large number" of interpreters for the North Korean soldiers. The Russians are also training the North Korean soldiers in the use of modern military weapons, such as drones.

North Korea has 1.2 million troops - one of the largest standing⁷ armies in the world. But it has not fought in large conflicts since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Many experts question how much North Korean troops would help Russia, noting a shortage of battle experience. They say North Korea wants to get Russian economic support and wants its help to modernize⁸ the North's weapons systems.

On Tuesday, South Korea's presidential office urged an immediate⁹ withdrawal¹⁰ of the North's troops from Russia. South Korean officials warned that it may consider supplying lethal¹¹ weapons to Ukraine if military ties between Russia and North Korea went too far.

Words in This Story

casualty - n. a person who is hurt or killed during war or accident

manpower - n. the number of people available

mutual - adj. shared between two or more people or groups

recruit - v. to find suitable people to join organization or armed forces...

interpreter - n. a person who translates words that someone is speaking from another language

 

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1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

3 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

4 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

5 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

9 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

10 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

11 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。