Over 10,000 N. Korean troops in Russia

SOUTH Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has stated that more than 10,000 North Korean have been deployed to Russia, with a significant number of those Korean People’s Army (KPA) troops already being sent to the front-lines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Previous reports said that as many as 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and 3 generals were being trained at five bases across eastern Russia.

The 3 generals leading the KPA detachments were identified by Ukraine as Colonel General Kim Yong Bok, a senior general commanding special forces elements, Colonel General Ri Chang Ho, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, head of the Reconnaissance General Bureau and Major General Sin Kum Cheol, head of the Main Operational Directorate.

A US Department of Defense (DOD) release read, “The North Korean troops entered Russia last month, and Russian troops are training those forces in infantry tactics, operating with unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery tactics, trench-clearing and the like. All indications are that they will provide some type of combat or combat support capability. We would fully expect that the Ukrainians would do what they need to do to defend themselves and their personnel.” 

It was also reported by Ukrainian officials that the first North Korean troops are likely to have already come under attack by Ukrainian forces near Kursk. The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) said that the North Korean troops were transported to the frontlines with at least 28 Russian Aerospace Forces transport aircraft and armed with AK-12 rifles, 60mm mortars, machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-tank weapons and night vision equipment.

Yesterday, Russian president Vladimir Putin met with North Korea’s foreign minister Choe Son Hui in the Kremlin while South Korea and the European Union issued a joint statement condemning North Korean troop deployment in the “strongest possible tems” and voicing their concerns of further Russian support towards North Korean military technology and hardware.-shp/adj/dl (Pix:KCNA)