North Korea would deploy additional troops to Russia…
SEOUL A South Korean congressman stated on June 26 that North Korea is deploying more troops to Russia to support its conflict against Ukraine, potentially as early as July, citing data from Seoul’s spy agency.
The statement was made barely one week after Russian Security Council chief Sergei Shoigu, when visiting Pyongyang, stated that North Korea will send military sappers and constructors to aid in the reconstruction of Russia’s Kursk area.
Following a briefing from the spy agency, legislator Lee Seong-kweun told reporters, “We see its support has played a significant role in Moscow’s efforts to retake Kursk, and North Korea is continuing to send troops and supply weapons to Russia.”
“After dispatching 11,000 personnel in October last year, Russia has already announced a second deployment of 4,000 troops, and a further 6,000 construction troops to assist in rebuilding Kursk,” said Mr Lee.
According to the National Intelligence Service’s assessments, the additional deployment “could take place as early as July or August”.
Evidence for this is that, during previous deployments, Mr Shoigu visited Pyongyang roughly a month in advance, said Mr Lee, along with “recent reports that North Korea has begun selecting personnel for dispatch, as indicators that preparations are already underway.”
During Russia’s more than three-year offensive in Ukraine, North Korea has emerged as one of its key partners, deploying hundreds of troops and container loads of weapons to aid the Kremlin in driving Ukrainian forces out of Kursk.
