North Korea may send military construction workers to Russia as early as July or August

South Korea's spy bureau says North Korea’s planned dispatch of thousands of subject operation workers and deminers to Russia’s Kursk portion volition apt instrumentality spot arsenic aboriginal arsenic July oregon August

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea’s planned dispatch of thousands of military operation workers and deminers to Russia’s Kursk portion volition apt instrumentality spot arsenic aboriginal arsenic July oregon August, South Korea’s spy bureau told lawmakers Thursday.

After a gathering with North Korean person Kim Jong Un successful Pyongyang past week, apical Russian information authoritative Sergei Shoigu said Kim decided to nonstop 1,000 sappers and 5,000 subject operation workers to assistance rebuild the war-torn area. North Korea has already provided combat troops and ammunition to enactment Russia’s warfare efforts against Ukraine.

On Thursday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told a closed-door parliamentary committee gathering that the dispatch of those 6,000 further subject unit volition apt travel arsenic aboriginal arsenic July oregon August, according to Lee Seong Kweun, 1 of the lawmakers who attended the meeting.

Lee cited the NIS arsenic saying that North Korea has begun recruiting soldiers to beryllium sent to Russia. He told reporters the NIS noted that North Korea’s dispatch of combat troops past twelvemonth came astir 1 period aft Shoigu visited North Korea and signed an statement with Pyongyang officials.

In April, Pyongyang and Moscow announced that their soldiers fought unneurotic to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk borderline region. The 2 countries haven’t disclosed however galore North Koreans soldiers person been deployed successful Russia, but South Korea, U.S. and Ukraine officials said North Korea past autumn sent astir 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia. South Korea said North Korea deployed astir 3,000-4,000 additional soldiers to Russia earlier this year.

In instrumentality for North Korea’s proviso of troops and weapons, Russia is believed to person fixed North Korea subject and economical assistance. South Korea, the U.S. and their allies are acrophobic that Russia could adjacent transportation delicate technologies that tin heighten North Korea’s atomic program.

In its briefing Thursday, the NIS said it believed Russia has sent North Korea aerial defence systems, physics jamming instrumentality and technological knowhow for abstraction rocket engines, drones and rocket guidance arsenic good arsenic unspecified economical help.

Sponsored Content by Taboola