Additional North Korean troop deployment, Kim mourns in public and beachgoers

Seoul last week said it cannot confirm a CNN report that North Korea plans to send 30,000 additional soldiers to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, amid conflicting intelligence assessments.  While Ukraine’s military intelligence suggested the deployment is imminent, its chief Kyrylo Budanov said no buildup has yet been observed, instead predicting voluntary enlistment of DPRK nationals into Russian forces. On this week’s episode, NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin joins the podcast to discuss deployment logistics, Kim Jong Un’s public mourning of fallen soldiers and evolving DPRK-Russia infrastructure projects. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.