The intelligence agencies of South Korea and the U.S. believe that some North Korean advance units may have been deployed to the front lines in the Russia-Ukraine war. Media reports even suggest that these units are already in Ukrainian territory, with some soldiers having been killed during battles.

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reported the information to lawmakers during an audit, according to Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling People Power Party and Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

"There is no accurate intelligence that North Korean soldiers are at the front lines. But there is a possibility that some advance units may have been deployed to the front lines," DIA officials were quoted as saying by the lawmakers.

These remarks followed a CNN report earlier in the day, which cited "two Western intelligence officials" saying that a small number of North Korean soldiers are already in Ukraine, with the expectation that their numbers will increase.

The agency then said the troop's deployment to the front lines appears to be imminent.

Meanwhile, another report by LRT, citing a Lithuania-based NGO, claimed that North Korean soldiers clashed with Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region on Oct. 25, resulting in some North Korean casualties. However, the DIA said it has no information to support this report.

President Yoon Suk Yeol also said Wednesday that North Korean troops dispatched to Russia are expected to be sent to battlefields in Ukraine sooner than expected.

Yoon shared this assessment during a phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier that day.

The South Korean president emphasized the seriousness of the situation, calling on both South Korea and Canada to maintain strong, unified responses in cooperation with the international community.

Yoon said a South Korean delegation will join the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of Ukraine's 10-Point Peace Formula to be held in Canada on Wednesday and Thursday (local time), aimed at supporting Ukraine's reconstruction efforts.

This footage posted on X by the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine shows North Korean soldiers apparently receiving Russian gear, Oct. 18. Yonhap

The U.S. also officially confirmed that a small number of North Korean troops are already in Russia's western front-line Kursk region.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a press briefing, Tuesday (local time), that the North Korean soldiers will serve in some type of infantry role. This remark came a day after the U.S. stated that the North has sent around 10,000 troops to train in eastern Russia to support Russian forces near Ukraine over the next few months.

"Indications (are) that there's already a small number (of North Korean troops) that are actually in the Kursk Oblast, with a couple thousand more that are either almost there or due to arrive imminently," Ryder said.

"We are concerned that they do intend to employ these forces in combat against Ukrainians or at least support combat operations against the Ukrainians in the Kursk region ... As of right now, it remains to be seen exactly how the Russians and the North Koreans will employ these forces," Ryder added.

Meanwhile, the DIA also said North Korea seems to have finished preparations for a nuclear test at its Punggye-ri testing site.

"It seems they completed preparations for a launch of long-range ballistic missiles, possibly an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)," the agency said.

It added the launch may take place around the U.S. presidential election slated for Nov. 5 (local time).