SEOUL - North Korea has sent 3,000 troops – twice the number of a previous estimate – to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, South Korean lawmakers said on Oct 23 after being briefed by the national intelligence agency.

       Pyongyang had promised to provide a total around 10,000 troops, and their deployment was expected to be completed by December, the lawmakers told journalists.

       Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied reports about North Korean soldiers heading to the battlefield, which have also been made by Ukraine.

       Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies on Oct 22 to respond to evidence of North Korean involvement in Russia’s war.

       A top US diplomat said on Oct 21 that Washington was consulting with its allies on the implications of North Korean involvement and added that such a development would be a “dangerous and highly concerning development” if true.

       Seoul’s National Intelligence Service said on Oct 18 that the North had sent around 1,500 soldiers to Russia by ship. REUTERS