North Korean troops fighting for Russia could affect East Asia's strategic balance, Sang Hun Seok told Newsweek.

The United States is concerned by Russia's growing relationship with North Korea and by what technology the two countries may be exchanging, the top U.S. arms control official said on Wednesday.

Ukraine’s allies will look to pressure China over North Korea’s growing support for Russia’s war during a Group of 20 Summit in Brazil, according to people familiar with the matter.

North Korea ratified a major defence pact with Russia on Tuesday, outlining mutual military aid and requiring both countries to provide each other with immediate military assistance if attacked.

North Korean soldiers, who were previously sent to Russia, are now in Kursk Oblast and are "already engaging in combat" operations against Ukraine. Source: Yonhap, citing South Korea's spy agency Details: The intelligence service reported that "North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia have moved to Kursk Oblast over the past two weeks and their deployment to battlefields has been completed".

Russia appears ready to escalate its yearslong war with Ukraine, preparing tens of thousands of troops in southern Russia for what could be a new offensive with reinforcements from recently arrived North Korean troops.