South Korea says Pyongyang is reportedly preparing for an “additional deployment of soldiers” to support Russia’s war effort.
More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded Russia’s war with Ukrainesaid South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
Monday’s announcement follows a report from Seoul’s spy agency to lawmakers last week that said at least 100 North Korean soldiers had been killed since combat operations in December.
Pyongyang has sent thousands of soldiers to reinforce the Russian military, including in the border region of Kursk, where Ukrainian troops seized territory earlier this year.
“Based on various information and intelligence sources, we estimate that North Korean troops recently engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces suffered approximately 1,100 casualties,” the JCS said in a statement.
Seoul, Washington and Kiev said there were about 12,000 North Korean soldiers stationed in Russia.
Pyongyang is reportedly “preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of soldiers,” the JCS added.
Intelligence also suggests that nuclear-armed North Korea is “manufacturing and supplying self-destructible drones to Russia” to further support Moscow in the fight against Ukraine, JCS noted.
So was North Korea accused of supplying missiles And Artillery shells to Russia.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022. A landmark defense pact between Pyongyang and Moscow signed in June came into force this month.
According to experts, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is interested in this acquire advanced technology from Russia and combat experience for its troops.
On Thursday, Pyongyang criticized a “reckless provocation” by the United States and its allies over a joint statement criticizing North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, including the deployment of troops.
Last month, South Korea and Ukraine also announced they would deepen security cooperation in response to the “threat” posed by the deployment of North Korean troops, but no mention was made of possible arms shipments from Seoul to Kiev.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in early November that Seoul “does not rule out the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine,” which would mark a significant change to his longstanding policy of banning the sale of weapons to countries in active conflict.
