Nearly 3,000 soldiers had been sent to support the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, and "thousands more"were expected to follow, Reuters reported on Oct. 23, citing South Korean intelligence.
Ukraine's military intelligence has reported that Moscow is planning to involve Pyongyang in the full-scale war against Ukraine in the coming months, with around 10,000 North Korean soldiers preparing to join the Russian army.
"Signs of troops being trained inside North Korea were detected in September and October," Park Sun-won, a member of a parliamentary intelligence committee, said.
"It appears that the troops have now been dispersed to multiple training facilities in Russia and are adapting to the local environment."
Pyongyang had promised to provide a total of about 10,000 troops, whose deployment was expected to be completed by December, according to South Korean military intelligence.
Two North Korean brigades of up to 6,000 personnel each are currently undergoing training in Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. According to military intelligence, some North Korean officers are already in the occupied territories of Ukraine, he said on Oct. 17.
North Korea has denied the reports, while a Kremlin spokesperson gave an evasive answer on the issue.
A military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 21 that Russian authorities detained 18 North Korean soldiers who abandoned their positions in Kursk Oblast. Video footage has also circulated purporting to show North Korean troops at a Russian military training camp.
South Korean media reported on Oct. 22 that Pyongyang has dispatched pilots who can fly Russian warplanes to join the war in Ukraine. South Korea's Yonhap agency also said that South Korea is considering sending personnel to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops.
Chris York
