NIS: Kim Jong-un may visit Russia for third time

[Anchor]

North Korean troops dispatched to Russia have been assigned to airborne brigade and the Marine Corps in the combat zone, with some already deployed in combat, according to the National Intelligence Service(NIS).

There are also speculations that Kim Jong-un may visit Russia again.

Reporter Yoo Ho-yoon has the details.

[Report]

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a surprise meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on Nov. 4 during her visit to Moscow.

[Vladimir Putin/Russian President/Nov. 4: "Today is a holiday in Russia. Meeting a friend on a holiday is a very good tradition."]

The NIS reported to the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee that this meeting had purposes beyond mere protocol.

[Lee Seong-kwon/National Assembly Intelligence Committee member of the People Power Party: "(Choe Son-hui) made efforts to meet with Putin, extending her stay by a day or two, and it is analyzed that important matters were discussed..."]

The possibility of Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia was also mentioned, suggesting that he could make his third trip to the country, following visits in 2019 and last year, amid unprecedentedly close ties.

The dispatched North Korean troops are believed to have completed their adaptation training in Russia and were deployed to the combat zone in Kursk around late October.

The NIS stated that they have been assigned to Russian airborne brigades or the Marine Corps, receiving tactical and drone response training, and some appear to have already participated in combat.

However, the NIS added that there is conflicting information regarding some reports about North Korean military prisoners and casualties, and that it is in the process of verifying the accurate details.

Additionally, it has been confirmed that North Korea has exported 170mm self-propelled artillery and 240mm multiple rocket launchers to Russia, and it is highly likely that North Korean troops capable of operating these weapons have also been dispatched.

[Park Sun-won/National Assembly Intelligence Committee Member of the Democratic Party: "If the war continues for a long time, Russia's dependence on North Korea will increase, so they might even transfer technologies that are difficult to hand over."]

In response, the NIS reported that it will closely monitor what weapons or technologies North Korea may receive from Russia.

KBS News, Yoo Ho-yoon.