South Korean lawmakers say North Korean soldiers are learning Russian commands and could be sent to the front lines in Ukraine.



Seoul, South Korea
CNN

North Korean soldiers are being trained to go to the front lines of Russia's war against Ukraine after being taught basic Russian commands, South Korean lawmakers told reporters Tuesday, citing the country's intelligence officials. can

The Pentagon estimated Monday that about 10,000 North Korean troops are undergoing military training in eastern Russia – up from a previous White House estimate of 3,000.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) is now monitoring the possibility that “some North Korean officials, including top military officials, may be transferred to the front lines,” lawmakers Lee Seong-kyun said. And said Park Sun-won, who was briefed. by the NIS during a closed-door meeting of the Parliamentary Intelligence Committee.

Russia is teaching North Korean troops about 100 basic military words such as “fire” and “opposition,” lawmakers said.

However, he added, it's clear North Korean soldiers are struggling to communicate — and it's unclear whether they'll be able to overcome the language gap.

North Korea has also increased its security measures to protect its dictator, Kim Jong-un, and to prevent news of North Korea's deployment to Russia from spreading across the highly isolated, impoverished country.

To that end, North Korean officers involved in the Russian effort are banned from using phones, while families of soldiers are told their loved ones are simply taking part in a “military exercise,” lawmakers said. have been

Video provided to CNN by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security shows North Korean soldiers receiving Russian uniforms and equipment at the Sergeevka training ground in Russia's Far East.

The video shows North Korean soldiers receiving uniforms and equipment at a Russian training base.

Despite those measures, word of deployments to Russia has spread inside North Korea – causing “unrest” in some parts of the country, the lawmakers said.

He added that some residents and soldiers have expressed fear of possibly being sent to Russia themselves, while others have questioned why they are being sacrificed for a different country.

Last week, Ukraine intercepted Russian transmission channels and released audio, in which Russian soldiers were heard speaking disparagingly of incoming North Korean troops, calling them “K Battalion” and calling them “King Chinese.” It was heard.

The intercepts also reveal a plan to have one translator and three senior officers for every 30 North Korean men, which Russian soldiers are heard condemning on audio.

“The only thing I don't understand is that there [should be] Three senior officers for 30 people. Where do we get them? We have to get them out,” says a Russian serviceman.

This may be the first time that North Korea has made a significant intervention in an international conflict. North Korea has the largest army in the world with 1.2 million soldiers, but most of its soldiers have no combat experience.

The Kremlin initially denied allegations of North Korean troop deployment, but at the BRICS summit in Russia last week, President Vladimir Putin did not deny that Pyongyang had sent troops to the country.

North Korea said on Friday that any troop deployment to Russia to help fight in Ukraine would be in line with international law, state media reported, without explicitly confirming such a presence. North Korea has previously denied such reports.

North Korean Foreign Minister Cho Son-hui is in Russia for his second visit in six weeks, leaving for Pyongyang on Monday. Lawmakers told reporters that he traveled to discuss possibly sending more North Korean troops — and what Pyongyang would get in return.

The news comes as South Korea's foreign and defense ministers head to Washington for talks with their counterparts, Secretary of State Anthony Blanken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, for the annual ministerial meeting.

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