Perhaps as expected, some hawks in Washington are reacting loudly and angrily to continuing reports which say North Korean troops are in Russia preparing for greater involvement in Ukraine. South Korean intelligence and the Zelensky government say that some are already in the fight, invading Ukrainian soil.

Republican Representative Mike Turner of Ohio, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, has already taken warnings against Pyongyang to the next level. He has urged the United States to consider “direct military action” if it’s confirmed that North Korean troops are sent to fight in Ukraine.

“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,” Rep. Turner wrote on X.

Mike Turner, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Getty Images

He also is trying to use this as a ‘told ya so’ moment, repeating his calls for the US to not shy away from supporting Ukrainian long-range strikes inside Russia.

“I have long challenged the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwise position on restricting Ukraine’s use of US weapons against targets within Russian territory,” Turner emphasized. “If North Korean troops attack Ukraine from Russian territory, Ukraine should be permitted to use American weapons to respond.”

Kim Jong-Un is likely to seize on these threats as an excuse to potentially ramp up missile launches or stage military drills. He has over the last months been touting a plan to rapidly expand and modernize North Korea’s nuclear program. Turner’s hawkish remarks aimed at Pyongyang are not going to help the situation, as relations between north and south are already at somewhat of a low point.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday described that the US assesses that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers arrived at Russia’s Pacific port of Vladivostok. They reportedly arrived by boat earlier this month.

“These soldiers then travelled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia, where they are currently undergoing training,” Kirby said.

“We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability,” he continued. And that’s when he added the warning and threat: should they deploy to fight against Ukraine, “they’re fair game”.

Turner called this a ‘red line’ issue also in an appearance on FOX:

ICYMI: Chairman @RepMikeTurner urged the Biden-Harris Administration to make clear that North Korean involvement in Ukraine is a red line for the United States after it was confirmed that North Korean troops were deployed to Russia.

More from @FoxNews’ @DanaPerino: pic.twitter.com/le0tqwjztb

— House Intelligence Committee (@HouseIntel) October 24, 2024

Yonhap News Agency had previously reported that the country’s main intelligence agency, NIS, assessed that Pyongyang has made the decision to deploy four brigades to Ukraine, which amounts to an estimated 12,000 troops.

In a Tuesday evening address, President Zelensky echoed this figure, saying: “We have information that two units of military personnel from North Korea are being trained – potentially even two brigades of 6,000 people each.” Zelensky has further commented that this is a sign of the war’s growing internationalization in Moscow’s favor. He has demanded that his Western backers respond.