### North Korea Hints at Sending Troops to Aid Russia, Considers Move Legal

In a potential game-changing development in the ongoing war in Ukraine, North Korea has suggested that sending its troops to assist Russia would comply with international law. This statement comes as reports circulate that North Korean soldiers may join the combat in Ukraine as soon as this weekend. North Korea’s vice foreign minister, Kim Jong Gyu, labeled the troop deployment as a "rumor" but noted that his ministry does not handle military matters directly. He asserted that if the dispatch were to occur, it would align with international law, despite anticipated claims of illegality.

This marks the first time the North Korean government has directly addressed the growing intelligence - first from Seoul, followed by Kyiv and Washington - suggesting that thousands of North Korean troops have been relocated to Russia's Far East for military preparations. Earlier this week, a North Korean diplomat dismissed the claims as rumors aimed at undermining the strengthening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.

In a related development, Russia's parliament recently ratified a mutual defense pact between President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Putin, while making cryptic comments, expressed his confidence in Kim's promise of mutual support encapsulated in their accord signed in Pyongyang.

South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, suspects that North Korea has already committed at least 12,000 troops, including special forces, to the conflict. The agency plans to dispatch a senior delegation to Brussels next week to brief NATO and EU leaders on the situation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that the first batch of North Korean fighters could reach combat zones imminently, possibly by Sunday. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) has reported sightings of North Korean ground forces in Kursk, where Russian troops have been fending off a Ukrainian incursion since August. Reports from Tokyo, based on Ukrainian military intelligence, suggest that around 2,000 North Korean soldiers might be sent to western Russia, with an advance team already preparing for their arrival.

The GUR further estimates the presence of 500 North Korean officers and three generals among the dispatched forces. However, it remains uncertain whether Kim Jong Un will order these troops across the border into Ukraine, which would mark North Korea's first significant foreign military engagement.

As Europe’s largest conflict since World War II continues to escalate, Zelensky has warned of the global ramifications should North Korea become involved. While experts believe this development would significantly escalate the conflict, they do not foresee it escalating to the extent of a world war just yet.