At least 1,500 North Korean special forces troops are in Russia, says South Korean spy agency

South Korea's spy agency on Friday reported that at least 1,500 North Korean Special Forces troops are deployed in far eastern Russia.

The revelation comes days after Ukraine accused North Korea of preparing to send as many as 10,000 troops to fight on Russia’s side against Ukrainian forces.

According to CNN, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it had first tracked a top Pyongyang missile development official visiting Russian front lines in August with dozens of other North Korean officers. They were providing “on-site guidance” to Russian forces using North Korean weapons, the agency said.

Then, from Oct. 8 to 13, the NIS tracked some 1,500 North Korean Special Forces troops moving to eastern Russia. The agency said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has pledged to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, inspected the troops twice before their deployment.

Seoul also reported that Pyongyang has provided some 13,000 containers of weapons to Russia in as many as 70 shipments since August 2023, including missiles, antitank rockets and up to 8 million desperately needed 122mm and 152mm artillery shells, CNN reported.

“The direct military cooperation between Russia and North Korea that foreign media has been reporting has officially been confirmed,” the agency said in a statement.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that it could not confirm or corroborate reports “on potential North Korean forces going to Russia or Ukraine.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, asked about the South Korean report Friday, said the alliance would discuss it with Seoul to “get all the evidence,” adding that NATO “cannot confirm reports that North Koreans are actively now, as soldiers, engaged in the war effort.”