North Korea to send more troops to Russia, says South Korea

South Korea’s military said on Monday it had detected signs that North Korea was preparing to send additional troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to Russia in support of its war in Ukraine.

According to Seoul’s joint chiefs of staff (JCS), North Korea has already supplied Russia with 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers, and was seen readying production of more suicide drones for shipment following a test overseen by leader Kim Jong-un last month.

“Suicide drones are one of the tasks that Kim Jong-un has focused on,” a JCS official said, noting that North Korea had indicated its willingness to supply them to Russia.

The drones have seen widespread deployment in the Ukraine conflict, prompting Kim to order their mass production and updates to military doctrine and training, citing heightened global competition, state media reported.

Seoul, Washington and Kyiv estimate about 12,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia. The JCS said at least 1,100 of these troops had been killed or wounded, matching a briefing by South Korea’s intelligence agency last week that reported approximately 100 deaths and 1,000 wounded in the Kursk region.