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South Korea's spy agency says North to send 10,000 soldiers to fight Ukraine by December

Published: 23 Oct. 2024, 18:50 Updated: 23 Oct. 2024, 19:59

MICHAEL LEE
[email protected]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks with journalists in Kyiv on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]

North Korea plans to send approximately 10,000 soldiers to Russia to fight against Ukraine by December, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) told South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday.

According to Democratic Party Rep. Park Sun-won, the spy agency told members of the Intelligence Committee that 3,000 North Korean soldiers are already being transported inside Russia, but “appear not to have yet arrived on the battlefield.”

The NIS report came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said North Korea had sent a total of 12,000 soldiers in two brigades to assist Russian forces on the frontlines.

The chief of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, also told military news outlet The War Zone the same day that the first North Korean troops are expected to arrive in the western Russian region of Kursk by Wednesday (local time) to help defend it against Ukraine’s advances in the area.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday there is evidence that North Korea soldiers are in Russia, but added that “what exactly they are doing” is “left to be seen.”

Austin’s comments came a day after the U.S. government declined to confirm or deny recent intelligence disclosed by South Korean officials.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said the deployment of North Korean troops “would mark a dangerous and highly concerning development” but noted that Washington is “consulting with allies and partners in the region and around the world” on the matter without offering details.

Patel added the use of North Koreans on the battlefield, if true, represents “another reckless and dangerous action” by Moscow and Pyongyang.

Patel previously told reporters that the department’s reluctance to confirm reports about North Korean soldiers inside Russia doesn’t reflect a lack of “confidence” in the information provided by Seoul and Kyiv, but rather its commitment to providing media with “the most up-to-date and accurate assessment.”

Pyongyang’s apparent decision to dispatch troops to aid Moscow’s war effort led Seoul’s National Security Council to issue a statement calling the deployment a “significant” threat to South Korean and international security and a “blatant violation” of United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting military cooperation with North Korea.

Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo warned on Tuesday that South Korea could adopt “phased measures” as part of its response “if illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia continues.”

A high-ranking government official told reporters on condition of anonymity that Seoul is also considering sending its own military personnel to Ukraine “to monitor the tactics and combat capabilities of North Korean special forces dispatched in support of Russia.”

Such a detachment would likely consist of military personnel from South Korean intelligence units who could study North Korean tactics or help question any captured North Korean soldiers, according to the source.

Kim also said South Korea is also considering supplying weapons to Ukraine depending on how North Korean-Russian cooperation unfolds.

UPDATE, Oct. 23: Added Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's comments.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]