SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- No signs have been detected of any imminent dispatch of additional North Korean troops to Russia, a lawmaker said Sunday, citing a report from the South Korean military.

North Korea, however, is believed to continue making preparations for a possible deployment of additional troops to Russia, according to Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the main opposition People Power Party.

In a report submitted to the lawmaker, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said, "North Korea continues to prepare for deployment, but no sign of an imminent deployment of additional troops has been identified."

The assessment comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed last month that Russia was preparing to bring in an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to a border region in the southwest to assist its war against Ukraine.

A military official confirmed that the North appeared to be internally preparing for the possibility of an additional deployment, but no movement pointing to actual preparations has been detected at the working level so far.

Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, dismissed Zelenskyy's claim of North Korea preparing to send additional troops as "completely groundless."

The DIA estimated that the North has deployed more than 16,000 troops to Russia since October 2024, with many of them believed killed or injured. Pyongyang is also believed to have provided over 15 million rounds of artillery shells to Russia, according to the intelligence agency.

sookim@yna.co.kr

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