Reconfirmation of Possibility of High-Level North Korean Delegation to Russia
Regarding North Korea's Drone Claim, "Attempt to Incite Inter-Korean Conflict"
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated that the 'Storm Corps' is included among the North Korean troops deployed to Russia, estimating that "some are in their late teens, but mostly in their early twenties. However, these soldiers should be considered as having already undergone the basic training required for the Storm Corps." The Storm Corps is a nickname for North Korea's 11th Corps, known as a representative special forces unit.
On the afternoon of the 29th, the National Assembly Intelligence Committee held a closed-door audit at the NIS headquarters in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. After the audit, Lee Seong-gwon of the People Power Party and Park Seon-won of the Democratic Party, who are the committee's floor leaders, relayed the responses of the NIS director and officials through a press briefing. According to the floor leaders from both parties, the NIS emphasized that the 'North Korean deployed troops' "should never be underestimated in terms of combat capability," adding that "because the Ukraine-Russia war has characteristics of modern warfare, the combat effectiveness of North Korean troops who have not experienced this may be uncertain."
The National Intelligence Service recently obtained photos of individuals presumed to be North Korean soldiers active on the Russia-Ukraine front through cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence agencies, and released the related photos on the 18th. [Provided by the National Intelligence Service]
The NIS believes that high-ranking North Korean military officials, including Kim Young-bok, former commander of the 11th Corps and deputy chief of staff of the General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army, may have been dispatched to Russia. During the audit, the NIS director stated, "There is intelligence that an advance party, including Kim Young-bok, is moving toward the front lines, and we are verifying this," adding, "This could indicate that the deployment of North Korean troops to Kursk (Russia) is imminent."
A member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee asked about North Korea's claim of 'drone infiltration.' In response to the question, "What is the intention behind the claim that a drone departing from Baengnyeongdo in South Korea flew back and forth over Pyongyang airspace?" NIS Director Cho Tae-yong explained, "Firstly, it is to provoke conflict between South Koreans themselves," and "there is also a distorted aspect aimed at internal consolidation within North Korea."
Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Intelligence Service, is attending the National Assembly Intelligence Committee's audit of the National Intelligence Service held on the 29th at the National Intelligence Service in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. From the left, Kim Nam-woo, Chief of Staff of the National Intelligence Service, Hwang Won-jin, Second Deputy Director, Director Cho, and Yoon Oh-jun, Third Deputy Director. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Regarding the relationship between North Korea and China, the NIS stated, "It is true that the relationship between North Korea and China is poor," but added, "Since North Korea-China relations can suddenly improve, it cannot be assumed that the current state of deterioration will continue." The NIS also mentioned, "There was discord during the process of replacing North Korean workers earning foreign currency in China, as sufficient cooperation with China was not achieved."
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