U.S. warns that 10,000 North Korean troops move to Kursk, making it a ”legal military target”

On the 4th, the U.S. government announced that "at least 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Kursk, Russia, a hotbed of fighting between Russia and Ukraine."
A State Department spokesman said at a press conference on the same day, "Secretary of State (Antony Blinken) said last week that '8,000 North Korean troops are
"They said, 'They went to Kursk,' but now we believe that up to 10,000 North Korean troops went to Kursk."
"Aren't North Korean troops already taking part in the fighting at Kursk?"
When asked about it, he said, "I've seen media reports that they are fighting," but added, "I can't confirm that."
"As we have made clear, 'They are likely to enter into combat with the Ukrainian military.
"If they do so, they will become legitimate military targets," he warned. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense also warned at a press conference that "the number of North Korean troops in Kursk is
"We believe the total strength of North Korean forces in Russia is approaching 11,000 to 12,000," he said, adding that he believed the number was "close to 11,000 to 12,000."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said on the same day that "North Korea has arrived in Kursk
There are 11,000 troops."