North Korea has reportedly sent a significant number of troops to aid Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine, with Seoul’s intelligence agency confirming that 1,500 elite soldiers are already in Russia’s Far East undergoing training. The soldiers, from North Korea’s Special Operations Forces, also known as the “Storm Corps,” are expected to be deployed to the front lines once they complete their training and acclimatization. This marks North Korea’s first large-scale ground force deployment to a foreign country in decades.
Seoul’s spy agency, the NIS, has also revealed that North Korea has provided Russia with thousands of containers filled with artillery shells, missiles, and other weapons since August 2023. Kyiv has reacted with anger, calling for a strong response from the international community, while NATO stated it could not yet confirm the deployment. The move has been seen as a sign of desperation from Moscow, which has struggled with military losses, and has raised significant concerns among Western leaders.