South Korean Intelligence Agency Estimates North Korea Has Send Additional Troops To Russia

JAKARTA - South Korean intelligence agency on Thursday estimated North Korea (North Korea) had sent additional troops to support Russia in the war with Ukraine.

"After a hiatus of about a month, North Korean troops were stationed back in the Kursk frontline region starting the first week of February," the National Intelligence Agency (NIS) said in a note to the press.

"It seems that there has been an additional troop deployment, but the number is still being investigated," NIS added.

The assessment follows news reports that some 1,000 to 3,000 North Korean troops had just been transported to Kursk via Russian cargo ships and military aircraft between January and February in the second round of the deployment of the troops.

Following the report, South Korean military officials said signs of North Korea sending more than 1,000 additional troops to Russia this year had been detected.

Previously, Pyongyang was believed to have deployed about 11,000 troops to Russia's frontline region in Kursk last year.

NIS previously assessed North Korean troops deployed to Russia had been absent from fighting in the Kursk region since mid-January, possibly due to the large number of casualties among them.

It is known that the Ginseng State intelligence agency estimated that around 300 people were killed and about 2,700 others injured.