On October 18, 2024, South Korean intelligence services announced that they had spotted a boat carrying 1,500 North Korean soldiers disguised as Russian soldiers heading to Ukraine.
North Korea dispatched 1,500 special forces members in eastern Russia for training at military bases before likely being deployed to Ukraine, South Korean intelligence said Friday.
1,500 soldiers deployed
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), in collaboration with its Ukrainian counterpart, said it used facial recognition and artificial intelligence to identify North Korean officers sent to the Donetsk region in support Russian soldiers using North Korean missiles.
Pyongyang has exported artillery shells, ballistic missiles, anti-tank rockets to Russia in more than 13,000 containers since August 2023, according to the NIS which is based on weapons found on the Ukrainian front. In total, more than 8 million artillery shells and rockets were exported to Russia, according to South Korean intelligence.
“Direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, long documented by foreign media, is now officially confirmed,” the NIS said in a statement, adding that it continues to monitor activities between the two countries.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol held a meeting with military, intelligence and national security officials to discuss the presence of North Korean troops on Russian territory.
“According to the participants […]the current situation of rapprochement between Russia and North Korea goes beyond the delivery of military supplies and constitutes a serious security threat not only for our country but also for the international community. the South Korean president said.
South Korea, a major exporter of weapons, fighter planes, howitzers and missiles, has refrained from delivering any to Ukraine, despite pressure from its Western allies.
Russian uniforms and false papers
Ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet with 1,500 North Korean soldiers on board were spotted near Vladivostok from October 8 to 13, the NIS said.
The soldiers are dressed in Russian military uniforms, armed and provided with false identity documents, probably to pass them off as Russian fighters on the battlefield, the South Korean agency added.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky on Thursday accused North Korea of deploying officers to Russia’s side and preparing to send thousands of troops to help Moscow in its war, even though NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte , said he had no evidence of such a North Korean presence.
Since a joint summit late last year, Moscow and Pyongyang have strengthened their military ties, while Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin concluded a mutual defense pact as part of a strategic partnership signed in June.
North Korea has 1.28 million soldiers in serviceaccording to the latest data from South Korea, and has intensified the development of its ballistic and nuclear arsenal.
