Anchor: North Korean troops in Russia are believed to have been assigned to Moscow’s airborne brigade and marine corps, and some have already joined the combat. That’s according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, which also thinks North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might be planning to visit Moscow.
Our Kim Bum-soo has more.
 
Report: South Korean intelligence says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might visit Russia. 

The National Intelligence Service presented its latest assessment to the parliamentary Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.

According to lawmakers who attended the closed-door briefing, the spy agency believes North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui may have discussed “very important and sensitive topics” when she met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.

[Sound bite: Rep. Lee Seong-kweun (People Power Party) – Nat’l Assembly Intelligence Committee (Korean-English)]
“It is especially noteworthy that Russia was initially reluctant to a meeting with Putin but it was eventually arranged on November 4 as her stay was extended by a day or two. They are believed to have met on a holiday and discussed something that important. [The NIS] is analyzing the details.”

Saying their meeting is unlikely to have been simply protocol, the NIS told the lawmakers it will pay close attention to the kinds of weapons and equipment Kim receives from Russia if he meets Putin.

[Sound bite: Rep. Park Sun-won (Democratic Party) – Nat’l Assembly Intelligence Committee (Korean-English)]
“The NIS has provided its assessment that during the Choe Son-hui-Putin meeting, they might have discussed very important and sensitive topics and [the meeting] was not simply protocol. They also provided a careful prediction that Kim might visit Russia."
 
The intelligence agency, meanwhile, confirmed that some eleven-thousand North Korean soldiers have completed acclimation training in Russia’s northeastern region before being sent to Kursk in late October.

The agency says they have been assigned to Moscow’s airborne brigade and marine corps.

While some of the troops dispatched to the front lines in Kursk are undergoing tactical and counter-drone training, the NIS said, others have already participated in combat.

The NIS also verified that Pyongyang sent additional shipments of howitzers and multiple rocket launchers to Moscow. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.