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| ▲ National Intelligence Service chief Cho Tae-yong (3rd from L, back) and other intelligence officials attend a parliamentary audit session of the intelligence committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 29, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (C) shakes hands with Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora before leaving for Moscow on Oct. 28, 2024, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) NK troops-Russia
(LEAD) Some N. Korean generals, troops in Russia might move to front line: spy agency
(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 6-10, photo, byline)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- Some North Korean generals and troops sent to Russia to support Moscow's war in Ukraine might have moved to the battlefield zones, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Tuesday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared the information with lawmakers during a closed-door audit of the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to Rep. Lee Seong-Kweun of the ruling People Power Party and Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party.
"The mobilization of troops between North Korea and Russia is ongoing," the NIS said. "We are checking the possibility of the deployment of some (North Korean) personnel, including high-ranking military officials, to the front lines."
The NIS said the Russian military is teaching over 100 military terms in Russian to North Korean soldiers but noted reports of apparent challenges in communication due to language barriers.
The agency also assessed that a Russian aircraft traveling between Moscow and Pyongyang on Oct. 23-24 was likely carrying key Russian security officials involved in the North's troop deployment.
On North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui's recent visit to Russia, the NIS said she is likely to have discussed additional deployments and other follow-up consultations on compensation in exchange for its troops.
As for the possibility of North Korea's provocations, the spy agency said the North could launch hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missiles or intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"With the purchase of advanced parts and technological cooperation from Russia, North Korea appears to be ready to launch a military reconnaissance satellite it failed to do in May," the NIS said. "We are keeping close tabs on the possibility of its seventh nuclear test following the U.S. presidential elections."
The NIS also said some 4,000 North Korean workers were sent to Russia this year.
On Monday, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) confirmed that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's western front-line Kursk region -- a development feared to further escalate the protracted war in Ukraine.
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