The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) released a report on January 24 assessing that North Korea is accelerating preparations to deploy more troops to Russia. According to Yonhap, South Korea said North Korea has been involved in the conflict against Ukraine for about four months and has suffered many casualties, including some soldiers being captured.
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South Korea and the United States accuse North Korea of deploying about 11,000 troops to support Russia in its fight against Ukraine. South Korea's intelligence agency estimates that at least 300 North Korean soldiers were killed and 2,700 wounded.
Russia and North Korea have so far neither confirmed nor denied that Pyongyang's soldiers have entered Russia to fight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently announced that Ukrainian forces had captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk province. Ukraine sent troops to attack the province in August 2024.
A North Korean tank unit
Also in the January 24 report, the JCS predicted that North Korea is preparing to launch advanced systems such as intercontinental ballistic missiles or spy satellites. However, there are no signs that these launches are imminent.
In 2025, North Korea conducted two missile launches, including a hypersonic missile just days before US President Donald Trump's inauguration. In an interview with Fox News on January 23, Mr. Trump said he planned to reconnect with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Meanwhile, the JCS assessed that North Korea could launch short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or drop garbage balloons at any time.
North Korea has not commented on the above assessments.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/han-quoc-noi-trieu-tien-sap-dua-them-quan-den-nga-18525012418171294.htm
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