House Intel Committee chair demands WH briefing on North Korean troops in Russia for possible Ukraine deployment

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) insisted Friday that a “red line” would be crossed if North Korean troops believed to be amassing in Russia enter the battlefield in Ukraine. 

“These troop movements, if true, are alarming and are an extreme escalation of the conflict in Ukraine,” Turner wrote in a letter to President Biden. “They require an immediate response from the United States and our NATO allies to avoid a widening conflict.” 

“North Korean troops, either attacking Ukraine from Russian territory or entering into Ukrainian territory, must be a red line for the United States and NATO,” the House Intel chief argued. 

“Your administration must make that absolutely clear and unequivocal,” Turner demanded. 

North Korea has deployed 1,500 special forces troops to Russia’s Far East for training with the intention of having the soldiers fight – with Russian weapons, uniforms and fake IDs –  for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Friday. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has further accused North Korea of preparing to muster an additional 10,000 soldiers to supplement Putin’s invading army – which has suffered nearly 1 million casualties in the two-and-a-half-year-long war.

Turner revealed in his letter that the Harris-Biden administration has not briefed lawmakers on the potential for a massive escalation in the conflict. 

“The administration has not briefed the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence or the House Armed Services Committee of any assessments by US intelligence agencies or the Department of Defense regarding these troop movements,” the Ohio Republican wrote. 

Why has the Biden-Harris Administration failed to actively brief Congress about the movement of North Korean troops into Russia?

Today, I sent a letter to President Biden demanding that his administration give @HouseIntel answers and that the use of North Korean troops against… pic.twitter.com/7wKUHj6iWj

— US Rep. Mike Turner (@RepMikeTurner) October 18, 2024

“Due to the urgency of this matter, I call for an immediate classified briefing,” Turner demanded. 

Since August 2022, North Korea has supplied over 8 million artillery and missile rounds to Russia.

The deployment of the special forces troops would mark North Korea’s first significant military involvement since the 1950-1953 Korean War. 

The Post has reached out to the White House for comment.