North Korea to send 12,000 troops to Ukraine – South Korean intelligence

North Korea is participating in the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Currently, North Korea has decided to send 12,000 troops to Ukraine.

Reuters reports this.

South Korea believes that North Korea has sent troops to Russia, which means a severe threat to the security of the international community. Seoul is ready to respond "by all available means."

Separately, South Korea's intelligence agency said North Korea is involved in the war in Ukraine and has decided to send 12,000 soldiers, including a special forces unit.

Yonhap newspaper reported, citing its sources, that North Korea has decided to deploy four brigades, including a special forces unit, and that troop movement has already begun.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held an unscheduled security meeting with crucial intelligence, military, and national security officials to discuss the involvement of North Korean forces in Russia's war against Ukraine.

South Korea's presidential office said that Seoul and its allies closely monitored the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia from the initial stages.

However, it did not provide any intelligence to confirm the deployment of troops or their involvement in hostilities.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that North Korea is currently training over 10,000 soldiers from different military branches to assist the Russians.

As Zelensky noted, Ukrainian intelligence records not only the transfer of weapons from North Korea to Russia but also the transfer of people.

"These are workers for Russian factories – instead of Russians killed in the war. And personnel for the Russian army. This is the participation of a second state in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia," the president of Ukraine emphasized.

To involve North Korean army personnel in the Ukrainian war, Russia managed to reach a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with the DPRK. It seems that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is attempting to evade the need for mobilization in Russia.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's intelligence, noted that about 11,000 troops from North Korea would start fighting in Ukraine already in November.

For reference:

ISW analysts, with reference to The Washington Post, reported that soldiers from the DPRK are already fighting in Ukraine, several thousand North Korean soldiers are undergoing training in Russia, and probably in the future, they may be transferred to the front line.

Previously, ISW experts reported that in July of this year, North Korea was supposed to send military construction and engineering forces to participate in "restoration works" in the occupied Donetsk region.

In addition, North Korea sent a delegation of its elite military to the Russian Federation. This was the first visit of North Korean soldiers to Russia after the cooperation agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang.

It should be added that on June 19 of this year, the dictator of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, signed an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership. It provides mutual military assistance in case of aggression against Pyongyang or Moscow.

Over 20 military personnel were killed, including six officers from North Korea, in a rocket attack on October 3 near Donetsk, which is currently under Russian occupation. Three additional North Korean servicemen were injured.