North Korean Engineer Linked to Russian Strikes on Ukraine Identified by South Korean Intelligence

South Korean intelligence has identified a North Korean missile engineer who allegedly participated in the launch of ballistic missiles targeting Ukraine, according to a report from NHK World Japan on October 18.

The intelligence report suggests that this specialist may be the same individual who accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an inspection of a munitions factory last year. The identification was made through facial recognition technology, which South Korean intelligence claims provides more than an 80% likelihood that the individual in a photograph, taken near the Donetsk region, is the same engineer seen with Kim in August of the previous year.

Earlier reports indicated that Russia is forming a special battalion of approximately 3,000 North Korean citizens, designated as the “Buryat” battalion, to participate in combat operations against Ukraine.

However, recent information has emerged that 18 North Korean soldiers have fled from their positions near the border between the Bryansk and Kursk regions, just 7 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The motives for their escape remain unclear, and the Russian military has initiated searches while attempting to keep this information from higher command.

On October 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has referenced intelligence reports indicating North Korea’s de facto involvement in the ongoing war, after reports have emerged indicating that more than 20 soldiers were killed near Donetsk due to a missile strike on October 3, including six North Korean officers.