Lawmakers: South Korea’s spy chief says North Korea has sent another 1,500 troops to Russia

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s spy chief informed lawmakers Wednesday that North Korea has despatched one other 1,500 troops to Russia to assist its struggle in opposition to Ukraine.

Final week, the Nationwide Intelligence Service mentioned it had confirmed that North Korea despatched 1,500 particular operation forces to Russia this month.

NIS director Cho Tae-yong informed a closed-door parliamentary committee assembly that his company has discovered North Korea despatched extra 1,500 troopers to Russia, in response to lawmakers Park Sunwon and Lee Seong Kweun who attended the assembly.

Park cited Cho as saying that North Korea plans to ship a complete of 10,000 troops to Russia by December.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has earlier mentioned his authorities had intelligence that 10,000 North Korea troopers had been being ready to affix invading Russian forces.

North Korea and Russia have been sharply boosting their cooperation up to now two years. In June, they signed a significant protection deal requiring each international locations to make use of all accessible means to supply quick army help if both is attacked.

South Korea’s spy company just lately mentioned that North Korea had despatched greater than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and different typical arms to Russia since August 2023 to replenish its dwindling weapons stockpiles.

Experiences that the North is sending troops to Russia stoked safety jitters in South Korea. South Korean officers fear that Russia could reward North Korea by giving it subtle weapons applied sciences that would increase the North’s nuclear and missile packages that concentrate on South Korea.

The U.S. and NATO have not formally confirmed studies of North Korea’s troop dispatch however warned of the hazard of the actions if true.