TAIPEI, Taiwan – South Korea’s spy agency confirmed on Tuesday that North Korea had exported additional artillery ammunition and launchers to Russia, and that North Korean troops in Russia have “partially” engaged in combat.
North Korea has been suspected of sending weapons to Russia to support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The South said last month that Pyongyang had sent about 7,000 containers of suspected weapons to Russia over the last two months, bringing the total number of containers to 20,000.
“In addition to artillery missiles, North Korea has also exported 170mm self-propelled artillery and 240mm howitzers,” said the National Intelligence Service, or NIS, as cited by South Korean lawmakers during a hearing on Wednesday.
The lawmakers, who were briefed by the NIS, added that some North Korean troops deployed to Russia in the Ukrainian war are known to have participated in combat alongside Russia’s Airborne Brigade and Marine units.
“The soldiers assigned to the Kursk front are undergoing tactical and counter-drone training. Some have already participated in combat operations,” the lawmakers said, citing the NIS and referring to a Russian region that Ukrainian forces invaded in early August.
In response to some media reports of North Korean troops surrendering, being captured, or suffering casualties, the NIS said: “There is a lot of conflicting information, so we are in the process of confirming the exact details.”
The U.S. and South Korea said that North Korean troops have already been fighting against Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
The U.S. estimated more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to the southwestern Russian region on the border with Ukraine and had begun combat operations alongside Russian forces. But both Moscow and Pyongyang have remained silent regarding the presence of North Korean troops.
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U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized the provision of antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, days after media reported that the U.S. had authorized the first use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine for strikes into Russia in a response to Moscow’s decision to bring North Korean troops into its war on Ukraine.
Citing unidentified American officials, the newspaper said the Biden administration is deeply concerned about Russia’s assaults against Ukraine’s front lines in recent weeks and sees a pressing need to blunt the advance.
The New York Times, also citing the U.S. officials, reported on Sunday that the long-range U.S. missiles were likely to be initially used against Russian and North Korean troops in Kursk.
The newspaper added that although the officials did not believe the permission for Ukraine to use the weapons would significantly impact the direction of the war, one aim was to warn North Korea that its troops are at risk and discourage it from sending more.
The U.S. has not officially commented on the report, but South Korea said it had been informed by the U.S. about the decision.
Edited by Mike Firn.