Photo : YONHAP News / Association of the United States Army
A U.S. commander has reportedly warned that North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s war against Ukraine are gaining valuable battlefield experience in modern warfare.
According to U.S. online news outlet Axios on Tuesday, U.S. Eighth Army commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Hilbert told reporters in Washington earlier this month that North Korea is closely watching how war is changing in Ukraine and the Middle East, just as others are.
He said North Korean troops were “bringing experience back” from the war in Ukraine, where drones and robotic systems are reshaping modern warfare.
His remarks appeared to underscore concerns that North Korea’s battlefield experience with advanced military technologies could pose a threat to security on the Korean Peninsula.
Axios said lessons learned on the battlefield could be particularly valuable to the isolated regime and that the troops’ continued exposure to modern warfare could create problems for South Korea and the United States.
When asked about ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, Hilbert said the two countries were clearly cooperating but declined to elaborate on the specifics of their relationship.