North Korea appears to have sent thousands of its soldiers to Russia in a bid to assist the country’s invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean intelligence sources
Footage purports to show North Korean soldiers in Russia
Kim Jong-un’s ruthless sister has dismissed both Ukraine and South Korea as “dogs” and “lunatics” amid growing evidence North Korean soldiers are on the ground in Russia preparing to fight for Vladimir Putin.
Kim Yo Jong, 37, accused “scum” South Korea of infringing the sovereignty of her repressive “nuclear” state with drone incursions. And she linked Ukraine to her attack in a way suggesting that Pyongyang is poised to unleash its troops on Ukraine. She warned both Seoul and Kyiv of a “horrible situation” with “fatal consequences”.
“Seoul and Kyiv are exact counterparts in going about bagging and letting loose reckless remarks against nuclear weapons states at random without follow-up capability,” she said, according to the North Korean translation of her words. “It seems to be a common feature of bad dogs bred by the US.”
Ruler Kim’s sister holds key positions in the ruling structure of North Korea.
Her blast came as new footage appeared to show North Korean troops on the ground in eastern Russia, amid intelligence assessments from Seoul and Kyiv that they will be deployed in Ukraine. New footage appears to show North Koreans at a training camp in the Primorsky region of eastern Russia which borders the repressive state.
A voice says approvingly: “The handsome allied soldiers from North Korea have arrived. I hope the war will now end.”
The latest videos follow other footage also indicating Korean forces are in Russia. But North Korea’s envoy at the UN Kim Song said reports about troops from his county going to Ukraine were “baseless rumours”.
The reports were aimed at “tarnishing” his country’s image. South Korea has said it could send arms to Ukraine in response to North Korea supplying troops to Russia for use in the war.
Despite no official announcement from Moscow, reports have suggested a large-scale deployment is underway which may reach 12,000 North Korean soldiers including 1,500 special forces. Kim Jong Un fighters were allegedly seen being kitted with Russian military equipment.
They had been given fake ID cards showing them to be residents of Siberian regions Yakutia and Buryatia, according to South Korean intelligence. Footage is from the Sergeevsky training ground in Primorsky region.
Earlier film reportedly showed soldiers being put through their paces at the same training facility. Reports suggest North Korea’s forces are undergoing training and preparation in Khabarovsk, Ussuriysk and Blagovishchensk, as well as at Sergeevsky, which is 90 miles from Vladivostok, Russia’s Pacific capital.
