Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un smile during their meeting at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport outside Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. AP-Yonhap
Around 3,000 North Korean soldiers were believed to have been sent to Russia so far to support its ongoing war with Ukraine, with a total of 10,000 expected to be deployed by December, South Korea’s spy agency said Wednesday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared the information with lawmakers during a closed-door meeting of the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to officials.
The NIS earlier confirmed that the North was sending troops to Russia in line with its decision to dispatch around 10,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russia against Ukraine, and approximately 1,500 soldiers were transported in a first batch by around last week.
“After the first batch arrived in Russia from Oct. 8-13, an additional 1,500 soldiers have been sent there,” Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party told reporters, citing a report by NIS Director Cho Tae-yong.
The troops have not been deployed to a battlefield. Instead, they are stationed at military facilities in Russia and are adjusting to their new circumstances.
The soldiers are undergoing special training on how to use military equipment and fly unmanned aerial vehicles, among other things.
A North Korean soldier receives around US$2,000 per month for the service to Russia, according to the agency.
The total number of troops joining Russia is expected to reach 10,000, including the 3,000 already deployed, it added.
“Russian instructors believe that North Korean soldiers are fit both physically and mentally, but they lack the understanding of modern warfare, such as drone attacks. They also expect multiple casualties among the North Koreans,” the NIS was quoted as saying by the lawmaker.
The NIS also reported signs that North has relocated the families of the dispatched troops to an unidentified place for isolation in order to manage the situation confidentially and effectively.
North Korea has not commented on the matter, but the news has spread to the local community and some of their family members “have wailed,” the agency said.
Pyongyang and Moscow are believed to have discussed the troop dispatch after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact pledging mutual defense in June, the NIS noted.
As for Pyongyang’s intention behind the move, the NIS believed that Pyongyang would aim to cement its military ties with Russia, seek Russian intervention in Korean Peninsula issues in emergencies, address economic hardships and modernize its armed forces.
Under the security pact, the two countries pledged to help each other in the event of aggression against either nation.
“Russia is expected to offer compensation to North Korea in exchange for the dispatch,” Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling People Power Party said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that North Korea has deployed troops to Russia, the first on-the-record confirmation by a senior U.S. official, according to foreign media reports.
Austin told reporters traveling with him in Rome on Wednesday that there is evidence of North Korean troops in Russia and it remains to be seen what they would do there. (Yonhap)
