SEOUL: On Wednesday, South Korea's intelligence chief informed lawmakers that North Korea has dispatched another 1,500 troops to Russia to assist in its conflict with Ukraine. 

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported last week that it had confirmed North Korea's deployment of 1,500 special operations troops to Russia this month. During a closed-door meeting of a parliamentary committee, NIS director Cho Tae-yong reported to lawmakers Park Sunwon and Lee Seong Kweun that additional North Korean soldiers had indeed been sent to Russia.

Park mentioned that Cho stated North Korea intends to send a total of 10,000 troops to Russia by December. Here’s a rewritten version of your story, preserving its original meaning:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously suggested that his government has intelligence indicating that approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers are being readied to join the Russian invasion forces.

In recent years, the relationship between North Korea and Russia has strengthened significantly. In June, both countries entered into a notable defense agreement, pledging to offer immediate military support to each other by utilizing all available resources in the event of an attack on either country.

The South Korean intelligence agency has recently disclosed that North Korea has dispatched more than 13,000 containers filled with artillery, missiles, and other conventional weaponry to Russia since August 2023, aimed at replenishing its depleting stockpile.

Concerns over North Korea's troop deployments to Russia have amplified security worries in South Korea. South Korean officials fear that Russia might reciprocate by providing North Korea with advanced weapons technology, potentially bolstering the North's nuclear and missile capabilities aimed at South Korea.

While the US and NATO have not officially confirmed the reports regarding North Korea's troop movements, they have cautioned about the potential risks associated with such actions, should they be verified.