INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
South Korean intelligence thinks Russia might fight together with Pyongyang in case of a war versus Seoul, the South Korean daily the Korea
Heraldreported Sunday, citing a lawmaker briefed on the matter.The United States stated recently that 10,000 North Korean soldiers were
training in Russia and could be released to combat Ukraine within weeks.North Korea is on record as having fought for Russia
If there ever is a war on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea can now anticipate Russia to come and assist, Representative Wi Sung-lac was
priced quote as saying.Wi, South Koreas ambassador to Russia in between 2011 and 2015, stated North Korea is receiving aid in resolving its
scarcities in financial resources, food and space technology in exchange for its military aid to Moscow.Russia will pay North Korea over
$200 million a year for the 10,000 soldiers and send up to 700,000 metric tons of rice, Wi said, mentioning the National Intelligence
Services (NIS) briefing to South Korean legislators last week.The Korea Herald said the NIS likewise thinks Moscow might be helping
Pyongyang with sophisticated space technology as it seeks to introduce another military reconnaissance satellite into space.Wi said the
tradeoff is not a bad deal at all for North Korea.Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a shared defense arrangement with North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un during a see to the East Asian nation in June.North Korea and Russias military cooperation is going to last beyond the
war [in Ukraine], said Nam Sung-wook, previous head of an NIS-affiliated think tank that reported on the political implications of the troop
release in recent weeks.They agreed to supply immediate military assistance if either of them is assaulted under the shared defense pact,
which is binding, he added.
