North Korea has begun sending troops to battle Russia in Ukraine, according to South Korea’s spy agency, as Seoul warns of a “grave security threat.”
The accusation comes a day after the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated he feared 10,000 North Korean soldiers could join the fight based on intelligence reports.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened a security summit on Friday, stating that the international community must respond with “all available means.”.
According to the spy service, 1,500 troops have already landed in Russia, with unidentified sources informing South Korean media that the total number might reach closer to 12,000.
This comes as evidence grows that North Korea is supplying Russia with munitions, as proven by the recent discovery of a missile in Ukraine’s Poltava region.
Moscow and Pyongyang have also increased their collaboration in recent months.
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his birthday, calling him his “closest comrade.”.
According to Yoon’s office, important officials from South Korea’s National Security Office, Ministry of National Defence, and National Intelligence Service attended the security meeting on Friday.
“[The participants] decided not to ignore the situation and to jointly respond to it with the international community using all available means,” it said.
The National Intelligence Service’s allegation comes only days after Ukrainian military intelligence sources claimed Russia’s army is establishing a unit of North Koreans.
Earlier this week, Putin submitted legislation to ratify a military treaty he signed with Kim, which states that Russia and North Korea will assist each other in the case of “aggression” against either country.
The NIS, South Korea’s espionage service, reported that North Korean forces are training at Russian facilities in Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk, and Vlagoveshensk.
This appears to back up information from a military source in Russia’s Far East, who told BBC Russian this week that “a number of North Koreans have arrived” and are stationed at one of the military stations near Ussuriysk.
Seoul’s spy service also released aerial images of Ussuriysk and Khabarovsk, where they claim hundreds of North Korean troops had congregated, as well as a photo of North Korea’s Chongjin port, where a Russian ship was apparently delivering North Korean soldiers.
According to the NIS, North Korea has shipped 13,000 shipping containers with shells, missiles, and anti-armour rockets to Russia since August.
According to the report, Russia received up to eight million 122-mm and 152-mm rounds.
However, some military experts predict that Russian military units will have difficulty integrating North Korean troops into their front lines.
They stated that, aside from the language issue, the North Korean army has no recent combat experience.
“They could guard some sections of the Russian-Ukrainian border, which would free Russian units for fighting elsewhere,” said Valeriy Ryabykh, editor of the Ukrainian publication Defence Express.
“I would rule out the possibility that these units will immediately appear on the front line.”
