Seoul, Dec 23 (EFE).- North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops in Russia, as well as to send more military equipment that could include suicide drones, within the framework of its plan to support Moscow in the war against Ukraine, the South Korea military said Monday.
“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 in a document on recent military trends in North Korea.
“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 experience in warfare and modernize its conventional weapons system.
Suicide drones carry explosives and are designed to deliberately crash into enemy targets.
In November, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had highlighted the need for the rapid mass production of such drones on a large scale.
North Korean state media also reported last month that Kim oversaw a test of several types of suicide attack drones, which are becoming increasingly important in modern warfare due to their cost-effectiveness.
Pyongyang has sent some 11,000 soldiers to regions such as Kursk in recent weeks to support the Russian military in its invasion of Ukraine, according to NATO, the United States and South Korea.
In exchange for sending its soldiers to the Ukrainian front to fight alongside Moscow’s troops, North Korea has received anti-aircraft missiles and other anti-aircraft defense systems from Russia, according to Seoul.
Pyongyang and Moscow have greatly strengthened military ties in the past year and signed a strategic alliance treaty in June that calls on them to assist each other in the event of an attack. EFE
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