North Korea appears to be preparing to deploy additional troops and military equipment to Russia, possibly including suicide drones, in support of Moscow’s war against Ukraine, the South’s military said Monday.
The assessment came as North Korea is believed to have sent thousands of troops to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine, with casualties estimated to be around 1,100, according to the South’s spy agency.
“A comprehensive assessment of multiple intelligence shows that North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase the deployment of troops (in Russia), while currently supplying 240 millimeter rocket launchers and 170 mm self-propelled artillery,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
“There are also some signs of (the North) moving to manufacture and supply suicide drones, first unveiled during Kim Jong-un’s on-site inspection in November,” the JCS added, attributing the move to the North’s efforts to gain practical warfare experience and modernize its conventional weapons system.
Last month, North Korean state media reported that Kim observed an on-site test of various types of suicide drones and called for their mass production due to their cost-effectiveness in modern warfare.
