Around 10,900 North Korean troops have been deployed to Kursk as part of Russia's airborne unit and marines, with some already participating in battles in the Ukraine war, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday citing the country's spy agency.

North Korea could send up to 100,000 troops to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned, amid reports that the North was sending additional long-range artillery systems.

South Korea's spy agency says that North Korea has recently supplied additional artillery systems to Russia to support its war efforts against Ukraine.

In a country that fetes its military elites like celebrities, Col. Gen. Kim Yong Bok was rarely seen in public. Until he was chosen to lead Pyongyang’s troops sent to aid Russia.

Around 10,900 North Korea troops have been deployed to Kursk as part of Russia's airborne unit and marines, with some having already participated in battles in the Ukraine war, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday,

The South Korean intelligence agency reported on Wednesday that North Korea is sending howitzers and rocket launchers to Russia. Nearly 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed in Russia's Kursk region and are already taking part in combat operations.

The National Intelligence Service also said Kim Jong Un could be preparing to visit Russia, where he has sent thousands of troops.

The United States said on Monday it was Russia that is escalating the conflict in Ukraine by deploying North Korean troops, after the Kremlin warned that Washington would deepen its involvement in the war by allowing Kyiv's forces to strike far into Russia with U.