South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has identified a North Korean missile engineer suspected of being involved in ballistic missile launches into Ukraine. The announcement was made on October 18 and reported by NHK World Japan. The intelligence claims that the individual is likely the same expert who accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during last year’s inspection of a munitions plant. This assertion is based on facial recognition analysis of a photograph believed to have been taken near Ukraine’s Donetsk region, suggesting a high likelihood of more than 80 percent that the engineer in the picture is the same person. The site in question is thought to be used for launching North Korean-made, short-range ballistic missiles.

Additionally, Militarnyi reported on October 10 that North Korean military experts are assisting Russian forces with the operation of KN-23 tactical missile systems. Further reports on October 18 by South Korean intelligence indicated the deployment of 12,000 North Korean troops, including Special Forces, to participate in the conflict against Ukraine. A video released by Militarnyi, likely to be the first evidence of North Korean military training on Russian soil, shows individuals in Russian military attire who resemble North Korean citizens. This footage, geolocated by the Ukrainian OSINT

ملخص الأخبار

• الذكاء الاصطناعي استخدم لتحليل الصورة، مع نسبة تأكد تفوق 80% بتحديد المهندس الكوري الشمالي.
• التقرير يشير إلى وجود خبراء كوريين شماليين يساعدون في تشغيل أنظمة صواريخ KN-23 التكتيكية.
• الفيديو نشر من قبل Militarnyi يظهر تدريب عسكري كوري شمالي على الأراضي الروسية.
• الموقع الذي تم تصوير الفيديو فيه هو قرية سيرجيفكا، قرب الحدود الروسية الكورية بفارق 230 كم.