North Korean troops fighting for Russia in Ukraine will ‘surely return in body bags’, US envoy says

The US and South Korean defence chiefs have called for North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia, as the US envoy to the UN, Robert Wood, bluntly warned that Pyongyang’s forces entering Ukraine “will surely return in body bags”.Washington says 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed for possible action against Ukrainian forces. Russia and North Korea have deepened their political and military alliance as the Ukraine war has dragged on, but sending Pyongyang’s troops into combat against Kyiv’s forces would mark a significant escalation that has sparked widespread international concern.“I call upon them to withdraw their troops out of Russia,” US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said at the Pentagon on Wednesday, echoing a call made at a joint appearance with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Yong-hyun.The White House has said that Pyongyang’s forces would become “legitimate military targets” if they fight against Ukraine, and Austin echoed that stance on…