Seoul, June 26 (IANS) North Korea is likely to send additional troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine in July or August, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment in a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, as Russia's media reported that Pyongyang will send 5, 000 military construction workers and 1, 000 sappers to Russia's Kursk region, in another possible sign of their deepening military alignment.
Representatives Park Sun-won of the ruling Democratic Party and Lee Seong-kweun of the main Opposition People Power Party, who were briefed by the NIS, told reporters that North Korea appeared to have already begun a recruitment process for the additional deployment to Russia.
After Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang and met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un early last week, Russian media reported that Pyongyang plans to send thousands of military construction workers to Russia's Kursk front line.
The NIS also noted that North Korea has supported Russia by providing over 10 million artillery shells, missiles and long-range weapons, in exchange for economic cooperation and technical support from Moscow.
North Korea's troop dispatch and weapons support have significantly contributed to Russia's war efforts, the NIS said, adding that Russia currently controls about 81 per cent of the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk.
The NIS also said Ukrainian intelligence authorities are raising the possibility that Russia may launch an offensive between July and August.
Regarding the recent situation in the Middle East, the NIS warned of the potential for renewed conflict between Israel and Iran despite the ceasefire, Yonhap news agency reported.
Israel may resume the war depending on domestic political considerations, while Iran could also reengage in the conflict to reassert its influence after addressing internal unrest, the agency added.
In response, the South Korean government is implementing safety measures for its nationals in the region, securing vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz and enhancing monitoring for potential disruptions in the supply chains of crude oil and other critical items, according to lawmakers.