According to ROK intelligence, North Korea has sent over 3,000 troops to Russia to provide military support. The plan is to have 10,000 troops deployed by December 2024.
Yonhap News Agency reported that South Korea’s Intelligence Agency revealed that North Korea had deployed more than 3,500 troops to Russia as of 23 October. The agency plans to increase the number to 10,000 by December. The agency claims that North Korean authorities have implemented strict control measures including collective relocation of families and isolation. North Korea has not officially announced the deployment, but information is slowly spreading. Reports of “selected soldier’s families visibly distressed” are being heard.
North Korea has provided Russia with artillery and missiles for its war against Ukraine. According to reports from Ukraine and South Korea, 3,000 North Korean soldiers, including special forces are training in Russia’s Far East. North Korea denies that it sent troops to Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov deferred any comments to the Ministry of Defense. On 23 October, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and White House Advisor John Kirby confirmed that North Korean troops were being sent to Russia. If these troops were deployed into Ukraine, they would strengthen Russia’s depleted and continuing losses forces.
Yonhap reports that Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Intelligence Service, briefed South Korea’s National Assembly on 23 October that the initial deployment took place between 8-13 Oct, and was followed by another 1,500 soldiers.
The NIS reported that the deployed troops were not currently in combat zones, but are undergoing training at various training facilities throughout Russia where they receive specialized instruction in military equipment operations and drone control.
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