South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on October 18 that at least 1,500 North Korean special forces are training in Russia's Far East. The South Korean intelligence agency also released satellite images monitoring the activities of North Korean forces.
South Korean intelligence said it had tracked a top Pyongyang missile official and dozens of other North Korean officers visiting the Russian frontline in August. The North Korean team provided “on-the-spot guidance” to Russian forces on how to use North Korean weapons.
Then, from October 8 to 13, the NIS tracked about 1,500 North Korean special forces moving to eastern Russia. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected the area twice before sending troops to Russia.
Seoul said the North Korean soldiers were given Russian uniforms, weapons and identification cards, and were assigned to units with Siberian soldiers to disguise themselves as Russians.
Seoul also reported that Pyongyang has supplied about 13,000 containers of weapons to Russia in 70 shipments since August 2023, including up to 8 million 122mm and 152mm artillery shells.
South Korea's intelligence agency added that weapons shipments from North Korea to Russia since August last year included artillery shells, rockets and anti-tank missiles...
"Direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea reported by foreign media has been officially confirmed," the NIS stressed in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a joint defense agreement this summer, pledging to expand military cooperation between the two countries.
North Korea’s involvement in foreign wars is rare, the Washington Post noted. If the North Korean military’s involvement with Russia is confirmed, it would be the country’s first major military effort outside its borders.
North Korea is reportedly sending Russia much-needed Soviet-era ammunition, according to US, Ukrainian and South Korean officials. In return, North Korea could receive Russian help to advance its weapons program.
North Korea has a Soviet-era arsenal that has been maintained since the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War. It also trains its military for potential conflict.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have accused North Korea of preparing to send up to 10,000 troops to join Russia in fighting against Ukraine. Last week, Ukraine assessed that “several thousand” North Korean infantrymen were being trained in Russia and could be deployed to the Ukrainian frontline by the end of the year.
On October 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Brussels, Belgium and revealed to the press that Ukrainian intelligence determined that North Korean soldiers were present in Ukraine and about 10,000 more troops were preparing to go to war.
Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told the military news website War Zone that 2,600 of the total North Korean troops deployed in Russia will be involved in fighting in Russia's Kursk province, where Ukraine launched a surprise counteroffensive in August and is now in partial control of the territory.
