Kim Young-bok, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's military aides, entered Russia as the general manager of a North Korean military unit recently dispatched to Russia, Japan's Kyodo News reported.
Kyodo News quoted a Ukrainian military source as saying that the exact timing of Kim's entry has not been confirmed, but that he was staying in Russia at the time of the 24th.
The Ukrainian authorities obtained a list of North Korean military dispatchers prepared by the Russian military, and Kim Young-bok's name is at the top of the list, Kyodo News said.
Kim Young-bok, deputy chief of staff, was confirmed to have risen to the position of deputy chief of staff when Kim Jong-un visited an important operational training base in the western region in March.
Kyodo News analyzed that Kim Jong-un's appointment to a close aide of his military is intended to accelerate military cooperation between North Korea and Russia by clarifying his readiness to engage in Russia's invasion of Daewoo Crimea.
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