The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea has reported that Pyongyang has sent around 3,000 soldiers to Russian territory, with the alleged intention of preparing them to be deployed to the front in Ukraine. According to lawmakers in Seoul, it is estimated that about 10,000 soldiers could be deployed in Ukraine by December, although no further details have been disclosed.
According to information shared with members of the Parliamentary Intelligence Committee, the NIS believes that about 12,000 soldiers could be sent in total, including a unit of Special Forces. It has been reported that approximately 1,500 North Korean troops are already at bases in the Russian Far East, receiving training, weapons, uniforms, and Russian identity documents.
The NIS director, Cho Tae-yong, was responsible for presenting this information to the committee members, as reported by lawmakers Lee Seong-kwon and Park Seon-won. According to Park, the NIS has provided information suggesting that around 10,000 men will be deployed in Ukraine by December.
NATO and Washington have not yet confirmed the information shared by Kiev and Seoul, whose claims have been labeled as "hoaxes" by Moscow and "absurd comments" by Pyongyang. The NIS, like many experts, holds that the troop dispatch is based on the strategic partnership agreement signed by Pyongyang and Moscow in June, which calls for mutual assistance in the event of a possible attack on either of the two countries. This scenario would have opened following Ukraine's incursions into the Russian regions of Belgorod and Kursk.
