South Korean intelligence says North has sent troops to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine

South Korea's spy agency said Friday that North Korea has dispatched troops to enactment Russia's warfare against Ukraine. If confirmed, the determination would bring a 3rd state into the warfare and intensify a standoff betwixt North Korea and the West.

The South Korean announcement came a time aft Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his authorities has quality that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to articulation Russian forces warring against his country.

US 'CONCERNED' ABOUT REPORTS OF NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS FIGHTING ALONGSIDE RUSSIA IN UKRAINE

The National Intelligence Service said successful a connection that Russian navy ships transferred 1,500 North Korean peculiar cognition forces to the Russian larboard metropolis of Vladivostok from Oct. 8 to Oct. 13. It said much North Korean troops are expected to beryllium sent to Russia soon.

The North Korean soldiers deployed successful Russia person been fixed Russian subject uniforms, weapons and forged recognition documents, the NIS said. It said they are presently staying astatine subject bases successful Vladivostok and different Russian sites specified arsenic Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk, and that they volition apt beryllium deployed to conflict grounds aft completing their adaptation training.

The NIS posted connected its website outer and different photos showing what it calls Russian navy vessel movements adjacent a North Korean larboard and suspected North Korean wide gatherings successful Ussuriysk and Khabarovsk successful the past week.

South Korean media, citing the NIS, reported that North Korea has decided to dispatch a full of 12,000 troops formed into 4 brigades to Russia. The NIS said it could not corroborate the reports.

The NIS has a mixed grounds successful uncovering developments successful North Korea, 1 of the world's astir secretive countries. If confirmed, the determination would beryllium North Korea’s archetypal large information successful a overseas war. North Korea has 1.2 cardinal troops, 1 of the largest lasting militaries successful the world, but it hasn’t fought successful large-scale conflicts pursuing the 1950-53 Korean War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's person Kim Jong Un speech documents during a signing ceremonial of the caller concern successful Pyongyang, North Korea, connected June 19, 2024.  (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Asked astir the NIS finding, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said "At this moment, our authoritative presumption is that we cannot corroborate reports that North Koreans are actively present arsenic soldiers engaged successful the warfare effort, but that whitethorn change."

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday that the U.S. couldn’t corroborate oregon corroborate media reports connected the North Korean unit dispatch to Russia.

Russia has earlier denied utilizing North Korean troops successful the war, with presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov describing the claims arsenic "another portion of fake news" during a quality league past week. North Korea's authorities media hasn't commented connected the issue.

North Korea and Russia, locked successful abstracted confrontations with the West, person sharply boosted their practice successful the past 2 years. The U.S., South Korea and their partners person accused North Korea of supplying artillery shells, missiles and different accepted arms to Russia to assistance substance its warfare connected Ukraine successful instrumentality for economical and subject assistance. In June, North Korean person Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating communal subject assistance if either state is attacked.

Many experts question however overmuch the North Korean unit dispatch would assistance Russia, citing North Korea’s outdated instrumentality and shortages of conflict experience. They accidental North Korea apt received Russian promises to supply it with high-tech weapons exertion associated with its atomic and rocket programs, a determination that volition complicate U.S. and South Korean efforts to neutralize North Korea atomic threats.

"Diplomatically, Pyongyang would beryllium sacrificing its relations with European countries for the foreseeable future. The quid pro quo successful presumption of Russian subject exertion provided to the Kim authorities could beryllium important capable to endanger South Korea’s security," said Leif-Eric Easley, prof of planetary studies astatine Ewha Womans University successful Seoul.

Hong Min, an expert astatine Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification, believed Russia has apt offered exertion transfers related to intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines and surface-to-air defence systems that would heighten North Korea's deterrence posture against the U.S. and South Korean forces.

Hong said Kim whitethorn besides spot the unit dispatch arsenic a important accidental to exposure his soldiers to modern weapons exertion and warfare and trial their combat capabilities.

Earlier Friday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an exigency information gathering to sermon the fallout of the North Korean unit dispatch. Meeting participants agreed that North Korea’s unit dispatch poses "a sedate information threat" to South Korea and the planetary community, according to Yoon's office.

Tensions connected the Korean Peninsula person intensified successful caller years, with Kim sharply expanding the gait of provocative rocket tests and openly threatening to usage atomic weapons preemptively. South Korea and the U.S. person responded by expanding their subject exercises, which North Korea views arsenic penetration rehearsals.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy warned that a 3rd federation wading into the hostilities could crook the struggle into a "world war."

"From our quality we’ve got accusation that North Korea sent tactical unit and officers to Ukraine," Zelenskyy told reporters astatine NATO headquarters. "They are preparing connected their onshore 10,000 soldiers, but they didn’t determination them already to Ukraine oregon to Russia."

Ukrainian media reported earlier this period that six North Koreans were among those killed aft a Ukrainian rocket onslaught successful the partially occupied eastbound Donetsk portion connected Oct. 3.

Many experts were earlier skeptical of imaginable North Korean unit deployments to Russian-Ukraine battlefields due to the fact that North Korea is preoccupied with its atomic standoff with the U.S. and South Korea.

North Korea sent pilots to combat for North Vietnam during the Vietnam warfare and for Egypt during the Yom Kippur War successful 1973, but determination person been nary known large-scale dispatch of its crushed troops overseas.

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There person been speculations that North Korea has apt sent subject technicians and engineers to enactment Russia's usage of North Korean weapons and larn their wartime performances.

Easley, the professor, said "it would beryllium astonishing if Pyongyang deployed thousands of soldiers to combat arsenic hired mercenaries." But helium added North Korea could person sent operation workers, technicians, engineers, and subject quality officers to Russian-controlled enclaves.