"Sending troops to North Russia" What is the U.S. considering?

[Anchor]
With North Korea's dispatch, the war in Ukraine has become much more complex internationally.

The U.S., which officially confirmed the dispatch of North Korean troops, said that the North Korean troops deployed to the front line would be a legitimate target, has returned to a cautious stance.

What are the concerns of the United States?

Reporter Kwon Young-hee reports.

[Reporter]
Russia has accused the West of supporting Ukraine and growing the situation.

Russian President Putin openly mentioned North Korea's military aid.

[Vladimir Putin / Russian President] It is our job what we do and how we do within the framework of the (mutual military support) clause. We must proceed with appropriate negotiations regarding the implementation of this clause. We are in contact with North Korea.

The U.S., which seemed to be immediately expanding its support for Ukraine, is back in cautious mode.

[John Kirby / National Security and Communications Adviser: It's too early to say how it will affect the battlefield because we don't know enough about the intention to use the troops.]

However, North Korea's dispatch of troops is likely to eventually lead to stronger U.S. and NATO military support for Ukraine.

NATO, which has refrained from requesting support for lethal weapons in consideration of sensitive public opinion in South Korea, may ask South Korea for active support.

Ukraine's demands, such as supporting air defense systems and allowing long-range missiles to strike mainland Russia, are also certain to grow.

This means that the front line will expand further and the conflict with Russia will intensify.

Here's the U.S. concern.

Military intervention by third countries, such as North Korea's dispatch of troops, increases international conflict and leads to a prolonged war.

Representatively, the Korean War and the Vietnam War showed that pattern.

Because of this, the U.S. is likely to buy time by continuing its cautious response to avoid direct conflict with Russia.

[Sabrina Singh / U.S. Department of Defense Deputy Spokesperson: When North Korean troops join the battle, they become a joint war of war. It's a serious problem. We will continue to monitor this.]

In addition, the situation where we don't know who will be elected and what choice we will make in the presidential election, which is just around the corner, is also deepening the U.S. concerns.

I'm Kwon Younghee from ytn.

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video: Lim Hyun-chul