North Korean troops in Russia may have reached front line: NIS

The National Intelligence Service briefed a parliamentary committee that North Korean troops, including generals, may be at the front line in Russia's war in Ukraine.

National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Cho Tae-yong prepares to take his seat alongside other intelligence officials taking part in a parliamentary audit at the spy agency’s headquarters in Seocho District in southern Seoul on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Tuesday that there is a possibility that some North Korean troops dispatched to Russia to support its war on Ukraine, including generals, may have moved to the front lines.

The top spy agency said it confirmed around 3,000 soldiers have been dispatched to Russia so far as it reported its latest findings on North Korean troop deployment during a closed-door parliamentary audit conducted by the National Assembly's intelligence committee at the NIS headquarters in Seocho District, southern Seoul, according to two lawmakers who attended the meeting.

The NIS said that the "mobilization of troops between North Korea and Russia is in progress," adding that it is "leaving open the possibility of some personnel, including high-ranking military generals, moving to the front line," conservative People Power Party Rep. Lee Seong-kweun and Democratic Party Rep. Park Sun-won told reporters after the meeting. The NIS estimates around 10,900 troops from North Korea will be deployed in the future.

The NIS also told lawmakers that the Russian military is teaching the North Korean troops some 100 Russian military terms, but the soldiers are finding it difficult to learn the language, thus it is unclear how they are resolving their communication problems.

Lawmakers were also briefed that the NIS believes that "key Russian security officials involved in dispatching North Korean troops were on board a Russian government plane that shuttled between Moscow and Pyongyang between Oct. 23 and 24."

North Korea is also focused on preparing measures to prevent social unrest caused by the deployment of troops to Russia.

Rep. Lee said that the NIS conveyed that soldiers were "banned from using cell phones on the grounds of preventing military secrets from leaking," and that there were allegedly circumstances where soldiers were detained and their families were "falsely told that they were training."

The NIS noted that, as news of the troop deployment to Russia spreads, there could be increased frustration within North Korea from those opposing the forced deployment.

Regarding Pyongyang's future threats, the NIS said that there is a possibility of North Korea launching hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Park conveyed that the NIS said that North Korea appears to be ready to relaunch a spy satellite after its failed attempt in May, having received Russian technical guidance and purchasing advanced parts.

The NIS told lawmakers that it is also "closely monitoring the possibility of a seventh nuclear test after the U.S. presidential election."

Park said that the spy agency also found that about 4,000 North Korean workers were dispatched to Russia this year, and that cooperation in the economic field is accelerating, with behind-the-scenes agreements reached on minerals and other items subject to international sanctions following the signing of the new treaty in June.

The NIS also reported in the audit that North Korea has recently "raised its security level," taking into consideration the possibility of an assassination attempt against leader Kim Jong-un.

The leader's public activity this year reached 110 appearances, according to the NIS, up more than 60 percent compared to last year, and precautionary measures include introducing communications-jamming vehicles and drone detection equipment.

Park also said that the leader's daughter, Kim Ju-ae, appears to be on the path to power, noting there has been an "elevation of her status," citing the NIS. This is based on her visibility and public appearances showing her flanked by other powerful officials including the leader's sister, Kim Yo-jong.

Hong Jang-won, left, first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Monday at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. hong led a South Korean delegation to Belgium to brief NATO officials. [YONHAP]

The NIS briefing comes after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed to reporters in Brussels on Monday that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's Kursk region, a front line area in the war. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Rutte also held a phone call to discuss coordinated measures.

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

"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."

The secretary general stressed that this marked "a significant escalation" in the 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."

NIS First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, who led the delegation to Brussels, 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 Moscow and Pyongyang seem to have "accelerated" the deployment, apparently because this information has become public knowledge.

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.

President Yoon also warned Monday that the deployment of North Korean troops to the front lines in support of Russia 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, the presidential office said in a statement, stressing that South Korea will "actively take step-by-step measures depending on the progress."

Later, Yoon held a phone call with Rutte to share the latest information on the troop dispatch, the presidential office said.

Seoul's delegation of intelligence and government officials 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.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speak at a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 3. [AP/YONHAP]

On Tuesday, Yoon and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly condemned North Korea's "illegal military cooperation" with Russia, including the transfer of weapons and dispatch of troops, the Seoul presidential office said in a statement.

In a phone call to share their assessments on North Korean troops, Yoon noted North Korea's actions, such as sending its special forces to Russia, are "dangerous and unprecedented," and said that South Korea and Ukraine, as "direct stakeholders in Russia's military closeness with North Korea, should communicate closely and coordinate a response in the future."

Zelensky, according to Yoon's office, expressed his gratitude for the support from Seoul, and noted that the North Korean military's deployment to the battlefield is "imminent," indicating that the "war is entering a new phase."

The Ukrainian leader said he will send a special envoy to Seoul soon.

Sabrina Singh, Pentagon deputy press secretary, speaks during a briefing at the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]

The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday separately confirmed that North Korea has sent 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," Pentagon deputy 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.

Likewise, the National Resistance Center of Ukraine, under Kyiv's Special Operations Forces, reported on its website Monday that North Korea has sent about 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia.

It added that more than 3,000 "mercenaries" from North Korea have begun on-site training in Russia's Kursk region. The soldiers are reportedly being trained at night, and allegedly some North Korean embassy staffers are acting as translators and supervisors of the troops.

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