Yoon, NIS confirm North Korean troops on move sooner than expected as Seoul delegation visits NATO

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Monday that the deployment of North Korea's troops to the front lines in support of Russia's war with Ukraine could take place "sooner than expected."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks in a press briefing after a meeting with a South Korean delegation to discuss North Korea's troop deployment to Russia at NATO's headquarters in Brussels Monday. [AP/YONHAP]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Monday that the deployment of North Korea's troops to the front lines in support of Russia in its war with Ukraine could take place "sooner than expected."

Yoon and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a phone call to discuss phased measures to the "serious situation" of North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia, the presidential office said in a statement.

This came as a high-level South Korean delegation visiting Belgium briefed NATO officials and diplomats on Seoul's latest findings regarding Pyongyang's troop deployment.

In the conversation with the EU chief, Yoon called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and an end to Russia-North Korea military cooperation, stressing South Korea will "actively take step-by-step measures depending on the progress."

Later, Yoon held a phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to share the latest information on North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia, the presidential office said.

Rutte said that he would communicate with Ukraine, noting that the involvement of North Korean troops in the war is a top priority for NATO. The NATO chief said he hopes to frequently share battlefield-related information and countermeasures with Seoul, Yoon's office added.

Rutte likewise confirmed to reporters in Brussels Monday that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's Kursk region, a front line area in its war with Ukraine.

"Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region," Rutte said in a press briefing. "The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security."

Rutte stressed this marked "a significant escalation" in North's involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and a "dangerous expansion" of the conflict.

"Pyongyang has already supplied Russia with millions of rounds of ammunition and ballistic missiles that are fueling a major conflict in the heart of Europe and undermining global peace and security" Rutte said, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin in turn is providing North Korea with "military technology and other support to circumvent international sanctions."

President Yoon Suk Yeol makes a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul on Monday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The briefing by South Korean delegation, led by National Intelligence Service (NIS) First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won and comprised of other intelligence and government officials, included ambassadors from NATO's four Indo-Pacific partners — Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

Hong likewise told reporters that North Korea's deployment of troops to Kursk is happening more rapidly than previously anticipated.

The NIS initially predicted the North's troop dispatch could take place through early December, but Hong said that Russia and North Korea seems to have "accelerated" the deployment apparently because this information has become public knowledge.

Hong said some 12,000 troops have been on the move, and there seems to be a rush and impatience "because their intentions or movements are being made public." He added that soldiers appear to be heading toward Kursk, or some are already there.

He also effectively confirmed the dispatch of Kim Yong-bok, deputy chief of the General Staff of the North Korean People's Army, to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said North Korean troops could be deployed "in a matter of days."

Seoul's delegation is also expected to visit Ukraine soon to meet with intelligence and defense officials to share information on the situation and discuss future cooperation, the presidential office said.

The U.S. Defense Department of Defense on Monday separately confirmed that North Korea has deployed around 10,000 troops to train in Russia “over the next several weeks.”

The Pentagon added that it will not restrict the use of U.S. weapons against North Korean troops should they enter Russia’s war against Ukraine.

"We believe that the DPRK has sent around 10,000 soldiers in total to train in eastern Russia that will probably augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the next several weeks," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters in Washington, using the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

This is higher than Washington’s previous estimate of 3,000 soldiers.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]