October 23rd 2024.
According to South Korea's spy chief, Cho Tae-yong, approximately 3000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia for training on drones and other military equipment. These troops are expected to be deployed to Ukraine in the near future. This information was revealed during a closed-door parliamentary committee briefing, attended by lawmaker Park Sunwon.
Interestingly, Cho also mentioned that an additional 1500 North Korean soldiers have recently joined the 1500 troops that were previously estimated to have arrived in Russia in October. He informed the lawmakers that the North Korean government plans to send a total of 10,000 soldiers to Russia by December. This update was shared by Park with the media after the briefing.
Park stated that Cho revealed the 3000 North Korean soldiers have been divided among multiple military bases in Russia and are currently undergoing training. He also mentioned that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes these troops have not yet been deployed to battle, as per their assessment.
Lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who also attended the briefing, added that the NIS has discovered that the Russian military is instructing the North Korean soldiers on how to operate military equipment such as drones. Lee stated that the NIS chief informed them that the Russian instructors have a high opinion of the morale and physical strength of the North Korean soldiers, but they may struggle due to their lack of understanding of modern warfare. He also mentioned that Russia is recruiting a large number of interpreters for this purpose.
Furthermore, Lee stated that the NIS has detected signs of North Korea relocating the family members of soldiers who have been selected to be sent to Russia. These family members are being isolated at special sites, as per the NIS chief's statement to the lawmakers. It was also revealed that the North Korean government has not disclosed the troop dispatch to its own people, but there are rumors that the news is spreading among local residents, especially those who have loved ones assigned to Russian tours.
Last week, the NIS had first disclosed reports of North Korean troops being sent to Russia, stating that the Russian navy had transported 1500 special warfare troops from North Korea between October 8 to 13. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously claimed that his government had intelligence about 10,000 North Korean soldiers being prepared to join the Russian forces invading Ukraine.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Military Intelligence Directorate, also mentioned that North Korean troops would be arriving in Russia's Kursk region to assist Russian troops in their fight against Ukrainian forces. While the US and NATO have not officially confirmed these reports, they have expressed concern over this development if true. Both Russia and North Korea have denied these troop movements.
During a briefing on Tuesday, Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson at the State Department, said that if the reports of North Korean troops joining Putin's war against Ukraine were true, it would be a dangerous and concerning development. He also clarified that DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which is North Korea's official name.
In the past two years, North Korea and Russia have significantly increased their cooperation, as both countries are facing confrontations with the West. In June, they signed a major defense deal, which states that they will provide immediate military assistance to each other in case of an attack. The NIS had also revealed last week that North Korea had sent over 13,000 containers of conventional weapons to Russia since August 2023 to replenish its diminishing stockpiles.
These reports of North Korea sending troops to Russia have caused concern in South Korea, as officials fear that Russia may reward North Korea with sophisticated weapons technology, which could enhance their nuclear and missile programs targeting South Korea. As a response to these developments, South Korea has stated that it would consider supplying weapons to Ukraine, although it has only provided humanitarian and financial support so far. This is in line with their policy of not supplying weapons to countries involved in conflicts.
It is worth noting that North Korea has a massive army of 1.2 million troops, but it has not been involved in large-scale conflicts since the Korean War in the 1950s. Many experts doubt the effectiveness of North Korean troops in supporting Russia, given their lack of battle experience. It is also believed that North Korea is seeking economic support and modernization of its outdated weapons systems through this collaboration with Russia.
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