North Korea to send more troops in addition to drone support to Russia

[Anchor]

This is a Russian soldier's identification card.

At the top, the name 'Kim, Khan-Sollat' is written in Russian.

At first glance, it seems unremarkable, but in the signature section, the name '리대혁' is written in Hangul.

Another identification card is similar.

These are the identification cards of three North Korean soldiers killed by Ukrainian forces at the Kursk front.

All of these identification cards list their place of birth as the Tuva Republic.

People from the Tuva region, which borders Mongolia, have similar appearances to Northeast Asians.

It appears that the deployed North Korean soldiers used fake identification cards to conceal their identities.

So far, it is estimated that over a thousand North Korean soldiers have been lost.

Nevertheless, the Joint Chiefs of Staff has revealed that North Korea intends to send additional troops and equipment to Russia.

Reporter Song Geum-han has the details.

[Report]

Russia is deploying its domestic kamikaze drones in attacks against Ukrainian forces.

These drones are similar to those directed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for mass production, raising the possibility of technological cooperation between the two countries.

[North Korea's Korean Central TV/Nov. 15: "(Our Great Leader) has guided the performance tests of various kamikaze drones on-site."]

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff has reported that there are signs that North Korea is trying to provide these drones to Russia.

In addition, over 22,000 containers filled with military supplies have been sent from the North's Najin Port to Russia, enough to transport around 10 million rounds of ammunition.

Among these, over 10,000 containers have been sent in the last four months.

As the U.S. government changes, there are analyses suggesting that North Korea is trying to leverage Russia's backing to enhance its negotiating power with the U.S., using the war's special circumstances to dispose of old weapons and validate new ones in actual combat.

There are also confirmed movements to provide additional troops to Russia.

With over 1,100 casualties among North Korean troops sent to Russia, North Korea is preparing for rotations and reinforcements, which U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies are closely monitoring.

[Yang Wook/Research Fellow, Asan Institute for Policy Studies: "From North Korea's perspective, the more they participate before the war ends, the more they can gain from Russia, so they are likely to be more proactive."]

Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs of Staff explained that the North may soon launch medium-range ballistic missiles and IRBM-class hypersonic missiles.

Although the launch in June failed to achieve normal flight, these are weapons that the North is focusing on developing to penetrate our air defense systems.

This is KBS News, Song Geum-han reporting.