**North Korea Prepares to Send More Troops and Weapons to Russia**
South Korean military officials say North Korea is preparing to send more troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to reports on December 23rd, North Korea has already deployed around 10-12 thousand troops in Russia. This marks their first combat operations since the Korean War and their first time fighting in Europe. Previous reports also mentioned that Seoul had confirmed 100 North Koreans were killed and 1,000 wounded.
**North Korea’s Military Support for Russia**
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) say they have evidence that North Korea is planning to send more troops or increase the number of soldiers already deployed in Russia. They also claim that North Korea has been supplying Russia with artillery systems and rocket launchers.
The JCS also reported signs that North Korea is working on manufacturing and supplying suicide drones. This development is attributed to Pyongyang‘s efforts to gain practical warfare experience and modernize its conventional weapons.
**Previous Casualties**
According to South Korea’s spy agency, thousands of North Korean troops have already been sent to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. There were approximately 1,100 casualties reported earlier this month.
North Korean state media recently reported that their leader Kim Jong-un had observed tests of various suicide attack drones and ordered their full-scale production.