North Korean troops secretly arrive in Russia to fight Ukraine, says South Korea’s intel

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has revealed that North Korean special forces have been sent to Russia to assist in the ongoing war against Ukraine.

According to the NIS, approximately 1,500 elite North Korean troops were escorted by Russia’s Pacific Fleet to various military bases in Russia’s Far East, including Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, between October 8th and 13th.

“The North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia are currently stationed at Russian military bases… and are expected to be deployed to the front lines as soon as they complete their adaptation training,” stated the NIS. The agency also released satellite images showing Russian naval activity near North Korea and military installations where the North Korean soldiers are believed to be stationed.

In a concerning twist, the NIS claims that the soldiers have been given Russian military uniforms and weapons and are being passed off as Russian troops from Siberian regions like Yakutia and Buryatia. “It appears that they disguised themselves as Russian soldiers to hide the fact that they were deployed to the battlefield,” the NIS added, raising the alarm about the possible ramifications of North Korean involvement in the war.

If the intelligence is verified, this would mark the first time North Korean forces have been involved in a foreign conflict since the Korean War in the 1950s, a historic shift in the country’s military engagements. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously warned of this possibility, stating that 10,000 North Korean soldiers were preparing to join the conflict on Russia’s side. He ominously remarked, “This is the first step to a world war.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned Russia’s recruitment of North Korean forces, calling for a strong international response: “Russia seriously escalates its aggression by involving DPRK on a war party scale.”

While NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte noted that the alliance has yet to confirm these claims, the NIS report signals a new phase in the conflict, one that could further destabilize the region and draw more nations into the fray.