"They are concerned": U.S. officials claim that China is worried about North Korea's involvement in the war against Ukraine.

China, despite attempts to appear calm, is significantly concerned about the strengthening ties between the Russian and North Korean regimes. Beijing is experiencing considerable discomfort due to the friendship between Moscow and Pyongyang.

This was stated by the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States, Kurt Campbell, during a seminar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as reported by the British publication The Guardian. Campbell mentioned that Chinese diplomats find it extremely uncomfortable to discuss North Korea's involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine.

"In some discussions, it seems that we are informing them about things they were unaware of. They are worried that Russian encouragement might lead North Korea to take actions that do not align with China's interests,” he noted.

One of China's main fears is that the close interaction between North Korea and Russia will ultimately assist the USA in forming a network of alliances in East Asia. Primarily, South Korea and Japan, feeling threatened by North Korea, may be more inclined to establish military cooperation with the United States, which is highly disadvantageous for China.

It is worth noting that soldiers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are already participating in Russia's war against Ukraine, and they are being utilized not only in combat engagements with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

As reported by "Telegraph", a North Korean army general was injured during a Storm Shadow missile attack in the Kursk region on November 20. Although his name has not been disclosed, according to American media, this marks the first confirmed instance of a high-ranking military official from the DPRK being injured on Russian territory near the Ukrainian border.