Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Oct. 17. AP-Yonhap

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said North Korean troops deployed to Russia are expected to engage with Ukrainian forces in a few days, a media interview showed Thursday.

Zelenskyy shared the intelligence assessment during an interview with South Korea's public broadcaster KBS in Uzhhorod in western Ukraine.

He said North Korean forces have been preparing to join battles in Russia's Kursk region near the border with Ukraine but have not yet joined the combat.

He refuted claims that North Korean forces had crossed into Ukraine or that any had been involved in combat casualties.

Zelenskyy said about 3,000 North Koreans are now at a training camp, expecting the number to rise to approximately 12,000, which includes officers and rank-and-file soldiers.

Negotiations are currently under way over Pyongyang's sending of an engineering unit to Russia, he said, expecting the dispatch of a large number of civilians to Russia's military factories.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine's greatest need from South Korea is an air defense system to counter Russian attacks, and a Ukrainian envoy is expected to visit South Korea soon to discuss potential arms support and intelligence sharing.

He also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin may decide to deploy additional North Korean forces based on responses from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and South Korea. (Yonhap)