South Korea's Defense Ministry said North Korea is continuing preparations to deploy additional troops to Russia. But Seoul has found no signs that such a deployment is imminent, Reuters reported.
The assessment came after Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, denied last week's claim by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Pyongyang planned to send up to 50,000 additional troops to Russia to fight for its ally.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement to lawmaker Yoo Yeon-won that North Korea had continued to supply Russia with weapons systems, including short-range ballistic missiles, according to Yoo's office.
North Korea is believed to have supplied Russia with more than 15 million artillery shells, the statement said.
The ministry also said that the development of some North Korean ballistic missiles and multiple launch rocket systems, assessed as intended for use in a conflict with South Korea, is coming to an end, the lawmaker's office said.
The ministry added that North Korea's Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam, is being prepared for operational deployment, according to Yu's office.
North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles have the flight capability to reach the U.S. mainland, the ministry said, but key technologies, including reentry of warheads, have not been verified because all test launches have been conducted on elevated trajectories.
North Korea and Russia have deepened their military cooperation since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Pyongyang has been supplying artillery ammunition and missiles since 2023 and deploying troops since 2024, according to South Korea, Ukraine and Western estimates.