– Given that four months have passed since the sending of troops for the Russian-Ukrainian war, and that there were more victims and prisoners, it is suspected that (North Korea) is speeding up further measures and preparations for additional sending of troops – the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) says. in a statement.
The JCS analysis did not specify what other measures Pyongyang might take.
North Korea is also preparing to launch a spy satellite and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), although there has been no indication of immediate action, according to the JCS.
This month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two North Korean soldiers had been captured in Russia’s Kursk region, the first time Ukraine had captured North Korean soldiers alive since they entered the war last fall.
Pyongyang has deployed about 11,000 troops to support Russian forces in western Russia’s Kursk region, according to Ukrainian and Western estimates, which Ukraine captured in a surprise attack last year.
More than 3,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded, according to Kiev.
Although Moscow and Pyongyang initially dismissed reports of the North’s troop deployment, Russian President Vladimir Putin in October did not deny that North Korean soldiers were in Russia, and a North Korean official said any such deployment would be legal.
The escalation of cooperation comes after Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June 2024, where the leaders signed a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement,” which includes a mutual defense pact, Reuters reports.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
