North Korea sends troops to support Russia in Ukraine war: NIS

North Korea has dispatched special forces to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, with the first batch already having arrived in Russia and a second group of North Korean troops expected to follow soon, South Korea's intelligence agency said Friday.

The National Intelligence Service said it "confirmed that North Korea began its participation in the war by transporting special forces to Russia via Russian Navy transport ships from Oct. 8 to 13."

Four amphibious ships and three escort ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet transported around 1,500 North Korean special forces to Vladivostok during this period, departing from areas near Chongjin and Musudan-ri in North Hamgyong Province, as well as Hamhung in South Hamgyong Province, according to the NIS.

The NIS further stated that a second operation to transport North Korean troops to Russia is "expected to take place soon."

The North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia have been stationed at military bases in the Far East, spread across cities such as Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk.

"They are expected to be sent to the battlefield once they complete their adaptation training," the intelligence agency added.

According to the NIS, the North Korean soldiers were provided with Russian military uniforms and Russian-made weapons. They were also issued fake identification documents resembling residents of Siberian regions such as Yakutia and Buryatia, whose appearance is similar to North Koreans.

"This appears to be an attempt to disguise them as Russian soldiers and conceal their involvement in the war," the NIS stated.

The NIS also reported that Kim Jong-sik, the first vice director of North Korea’s Munitions Industry Department and a key figure in the country’s missile development, was observed visiting a North Korean KN-23 missile launch site near the Russia-Ukraine front. He was accompanied by dozens of North Korean military officers to provide on-site guidance.

The NIS, in collaboration with Ukrainian authorities, has also released a photograph of a suspected North Korean individual wearing a Russian military uniform, posing alongside Russian soldiers at a KN-23 missile — North Korea's version of the Iskander missile —launch site near the Donetsk region.

The individual, dressed in Russian military attire, was identified using AI facial recognition technology as a North Korean missile technician who accompanied Kim Jong-un during his visit to a missile production facility in August 2023, as shown in North Korean state media.

"North Korean missile technicians deployed to the Russia-Ukraine front are providing support for the launch of North Korean-made missiles, likely aiming to identify technical issues and gain additional technological expertise," the NIS stated.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday presided over an emergency security meeting regarding the deployment of North Korean combat troops to support Russia in the war against Ukraine and its security implications for the Korean Peninsula. according to the presidential office.

"The meeting, attended by key officials from the National Security Office, Defense Ministry and the National Intelligence Service, was convened to comprehensively assess the impact of North Korean military deployment to Russia and participation in the Ukraine war for our security and to discuss future response measures," Yoon's office said in a statement.

"Participants shared intelligence on the recent movement of North Korean troops to Russia and their support for the Russian war effort, agreeing that the current situation, where military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has escalated beyond arms transfers to the actual deployment of troops, poses a significant security threat not only to South Korea but to the international community."

The Yoon administration has been closely monitoring North Korea’s troop movements to Russia in coordination with its allies from the outset and plans to continue closely observing the situation while actively considering necessary measures moving forward, according to the presidential office.

The participants also "agreed not to stand idly by in this situation and to respond by mobilizing all available means in cooperation with the international community."

During a press conference in Brussels following the European Union summit on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine has intelligence suggesting that 10,000 North Korean soldiers are being prepared to assist Russian forces in their war efforts against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy also disclosed that several North Korean military officers are already present in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

However, Ukraine’s Western allies have not yet verified Kyiv’s allegations about North Korean troop deployments; they have stated that they are looking into the situation.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday that "we have no evidence that North Korean soldiers are involved in the fight" during his joint news conference with Zelenskyy.

"But we do know that North Korea is supporting Russia in many ways. By weapons supplies, technological supplies, innovation to support them in the war effort, and that is highly worrying," he said.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang. The treaty included provisions for mutual defense assistance, signaling deepening military cooperation between the two countries.

Earlier this week, Russian media outlets reported that Putin had submitted the treaty to the State Duma for ratification, marking a significant step toward formalizing the defense agreement.