'N Korea troops to aid Russia'
A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva October 2, 2014. PHOTO: REUTERS
North Korea has decided to send a "large-scale" troop deployment to support Moscow's war in Ukraine, with 1,500 special forces already in Russia's Far East and undergoing training, Seoul's spy agency said Friday.
The announcement sparked anger in Kyiv, which demanded a "strong reaction" from its European and US allies, and concern in Paris. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the move smacked of "desperation" from Moscow.
Seoul's National Intelligence Service released detailed satellite images it said showed the first deployment of elite North Korean soldiers being moved by Russian military vessels to Vladivostok.
Seoul's spy agency said that between October 8 and 13, it had detected "North Korea transported its special forces to Russia via a Russian Navy transport ship, confirming the start of North Korea's military participation" in Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The first contingent of troops -- which South Korean media said were from an elite unit under North Korea's Special Operations Forces, also known as the "Storm Corps" -- are currently stationed in military bases across Russia's Far East.
The special forces "are expected to be deployed to the front lines (of the Ukraine conflict) as soon as they complete acclimatisation training," NIS said.