Despite the massive casualties suffering from the war between Russia and Ukraine, North Korea appears to have sent more troops to Russia as soldiers reentered the frontline combat, South Korean spy agency said Thursday.
South Korea’s leading spy agency, the National Intelligence Agency, said it was still trying to assess the scale of the new developments. However, the brief statement follows a report by South Korean newspaper Joongang, citing an anonymous source that North Korea has dispatched up to 3,000 troops on ships and military cargo planes since January.
North Korea sent an estimated 11,000 troops to Russia at the end of last year to supply large cargo of shells, missiles and other conventional weapons. The army was sent to the Kursk region where he fought alongside the Russian army to help regain lost territory in Ukraine.
However, Ukrainians and US officials say North Korean soldiers pulled back from the frontline in January after being seriously injured. They were welcomed by North Korea’s highly disciplined special war units, but were badly prepared for drone attacks on mostly open and flat battlefields in Eastern Europe. Thousands have been killed or injured, South Korean officials said.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Voldimir Zelensky said North Korean forces have returned to the forefront.
“After a month’s lull, North Korean forces have been brought back to the frontlines of Kursk from the first week of February,” he said.
Russia’s war against Ukraine was the first overseas military conflict in decades that North Korea has sent soldiers, and despite being seriously injured, the military is helping to gain valuable lessons in real-life modern warfare, military analysts said.
South Korean officials have also expressed concern that North Korea is receiving food, oil and advanced weapons technology from Russia in return for its military and artillery.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is aiming to upgrade his nuclear and other arms programs and find a new diplomatic partner for his Parian government as diplomacy collapsed with President Donald J. Trump in 2019.
Kim has made Russian President Vladimir V. Putin a new alliance by supplying Moscow with the ammunition and troops heavily needed. When Putin met Kim in Pyongyang last June, they revived Cold War era mutual defense treaties.
Since Trump returned to the White House in January, he has vowed to end the war. He also hints that he is interested in reviving diplomacy with North Korean leaders. However, Kim has not responded publicly.
