[VIDEOS] North Korean troops confirmed in Russia

Kyiv Post sources have confirmed that Korean was spoken in two separate videos claiming Pyongyang troops were in Russia.

Both videos began making the rounds on Friday evening. One was taken in an open field with troops running in formation along a dirt road, while another showed troops gathering supplies in a room, supposedly before their combat mission.

Seoul’s intelligence agency said Friday, based on satellite images, that “1,500 North Korean special forces” had arrived at various bases in Russia’s Far East ahead of their deployment to Ukraine.

In the first video, a Russian soldier in uniform – with a badge on his shoulder – commented on the troops marching in front of him, calling them foreign reinforcements and claiming that “millions” of them would come to reinforce the troops.

Between 0:41 and 0:42, a foreign speech could be heard in the background, and the Kyiv Post’s source in South Korea confirmed that the person probably said in Korean (“야이마”): “Hey, don’t stay there, do something.” and go.” 저기에 있지마”).

The matching insignia on the soldier’s shoulder and on the gate indicate that the first video was likely recorded at a Russian military facility.

In another video, Asian-looking troops wearing Russian uniforms were seen lining up for equipment, with further audible speeches that were evidently Korean.

Between 0:08 and 0:09, a verbal exchange between two soldiers was clearly heard, with one Kyiv Post source in South Korea and Seoul’s KBS News noting that one asked about the contents of the box and another responded: ” Water.”

In one case, a person was heard saying “Take this” (“저거 가져 가거라”) in Korean. The Kyiv Post’s source noted that the accent was atypical for South Koreans.

Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security claimed the second video was recorded at a training ground in a town called Sergeevka in Russia’s Primorye region. Kyiv Post determined through geolocation that the first video was also recorded at the same facility.

Although Kyiv Post cannot confirm the location with certainty, the image was likely taken at a three-way intersection next to a red-roofed building, where a large building could be seen in the distance to the right.

Seoul’s intelligence agency also claimed in its press release Friday that a senior North Korean officer was present on the Ukrainian front in August to monitor and direct the use of Pyongyang’s KN-23 missile at Moscow’s behest.

Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on Friday that Pyongyang and Moscow are preparing 11,000 troops in the Russian Far East to be sent to Ukraine by November 1. Its intelligence agency had previously claimed that some North Korean troops stationed in and near Ukraine had already been killed and 18 others had left.

Kiev and Seoul both claimed that North Korean troops to be sent to Ukraine would be given fake IDs from residents of the Yakutia and Buryatia regions of Siberia, in addition to Russian uniforms and weapons, to hide their identities.