North Korean troops in Russia engaged in battles, spy agency confirms 

By Park Ung Posted : November 20, 2024, 18:00 Updated : November 20, 2024, 18:01
A missile, suspected to be a North Korean version of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), is being fired in Hamhung, eastern North Korea, in this photo released by the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Aug. 11, 2019.
SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - Part of North Korean troops deployed to Russia are believed to be engaged in battles under the command of Russia's airborne brigade or marine corps, South Korea's spy agency said on Wednesday.

"Some 11,000 North Korean soldiers moved to Kursk in late October, after completing their training in northeastern Russa," lawmakers quoted an official from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) as saying in a closed-door meeting.

Kursk is a Russian territory occupied by Ukraine.

According to the NIS, those soldiers appear to have been assigned to Russia's airborne brigades or marine corps and are now learning military tactics including how to respond to Ukrainian drones.

The agency also speculated that North Korea exported additional long-range artillery to Moscow such as self-propelled howitzers and multiple rocket launchers.

But the agency added that it is currently assessing North Korean casualties and other battlefield situations as they began fighting on the front lines.

Regarding North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui's visit to Moscow early this month, the NIS said that she is believed to have discussed its leader Kim Jong-un's possible visit to Russia.
Park Ung

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