North Korea is continuing preparations for a possible additional deployment of troops to Russia, although South Korea has detected no signs that a new deployment is imminent, according to the South Korean Defence Ministry.
The assessment was conveyed to lawmaker Yu Yong-weon, whose office said the ministry reported that Pyongyang was still preparing for a further troop deployment to support Russia.
The development comes after Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s recent claim that North Korea was planning to send up to 50,000 additional troops to Russia.
South Korea’s Defence Ministry also said North Korea had continued supplying Russia with weapons, including short-range ballistic missiles, according to Yu’s office.
North Korea is estimated to have supplied more than 15 million rounds of artillery ammunition to Russia, based on 152mm shell equivalents, the ministry said.
Citing an assessment by South Korea’s Defence Intelligence Agency, Yu’s office said North Korean missiles used in the conflict may have become more accurate through battlefield experience, as well as technical assistance and component support from Russia.
The ministry further assessed that the development of several North Korean ballistic missiles and multiple rocket launchers believed to be intended for use against South Korea was approaching completion.
North Korea’s Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching the US territory of Guam, is also reportedly being prepared for operational deployment.
Meanwhile, South Korean authorities said North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles have the range to reach the US mainland. However, crucial technologies, including the ability of their warheads to survive re-entry into the atmosphere, have yet to be verified because North Korea has conducted its ICBM tests using lofted trajectories.
Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has deepened since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western assessments say Pyongyang has supplied Russia with artillery ammunition and missiles since 2023 and began deploying troops in 2024.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have previously denied allegations of arms transfers.
