N. Korea military officials, troops in Russia might go to front line: Seoul’s spy agency

SEOUL – Some high-ranking North Korean military officials and troops deployed to Russia for the war in Ukraine might move to the front line, South Korean lawmakers said on Oct 29 after being briefed by the country’s spy agency.

The lawmakers did not give any timetable, but the comments came as Nato confirmed Pyongyang’s dispatch of troops to Russia, and said that military units had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region on the border with Ukraine.

The Russian military was teaching military terminology to the North Korean troops, said a member of a parliamentary intelligence committee during the briefing.

North Korea was also ready to launch another military reconnaissance satellite with the help of technological support from Moscow, the lawmakers said, citing the South’s National Intelligence Service.

Pyongyang has vowed to launch more spy satellites, although its last attempt failed earlier in 2024 when a satellite exploded minutes after lift-off.

The North had also sent some 4,000 workers to Russia in 2024, according to the lawmakers attending the parliamentary intelligence committee hearing.

Ms Kim Ju Ae, the daughter of leader Kim Jong Un, had seen her status partially elevated and was being guided by Ms Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, the lawmakers said.

Mr Kim was also ramping up security around him because of concern about the possibility of assassination, according to the lawmakers. REUTERS