South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) disclosed the new toll—up from earlier estimates of about 600—during a parliamentary intelligence committee meeting.
Pyongyang plans to dispatch a third group of 6,000 troops to Russia, and 1,000 military engineers have already arrived, the NIS said, according to Yonhap. Existing North Korean contingents are stationed in the rear as reserve forces, and local command changes are possible.
Since October last year, North Korea has sent at least 13,000 soldiers and significant conventional arms to support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, the agency said.
Last week, state media KCNA reported that Kim honored North Korean “martyrs” who died in Russia and offered condolences to their families.
Kim is en route to Beijing to attend a Wednesday military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. The NIS said his armored train crossed into China on Tuesday. The event marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two; plans disclosed last week placed Putin to Xi Jinping’s right and Kim to his left.
The NIS assessed the visit aims to restore North Korea–China ties and secure Chinese economic support to ease Pyongyang’s “system crisis.”
(jh)
Source: PAP