North Korea is beefing up security around leader Kim Jong-un, likely for fear of assassination, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service informed lawmakers on Tuesday.
The upgrade includes deploying communication jammers and considering drone detection systems, Yonhap news agency reported.
The spy agency said that Mr Kim’s public appearances have significantly increased this year, up by about 60 per cent from last year.
It did not mention any specific threats against Mr Kim, however.
The spy agency further reported that North Korea has stopped using its “juche” calendar—a year-numbering system honouring its late founder Kim Il-sung—and is intensifying efforts to solidify Mr Kim’s role as the country’s sole leader.
Mr Kim’s daughter Kim Ju-ae appears to have seen an elevation in status, the agency added, noting her recent public appearances, including one where she was accompanied by Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the leader.
The news of enhanced security for Mr Kim came soon after the Pentagon reported on Monday that North Korea had sent about 10,000 soldiers for training to Russia and some of them were advancing towards the Ukrainian frontlines to support the Russian war forces against Kyiv.
South Korea and the US have expressed concerns about reports suggesting North Korea may be sending troops to support Russia in its war, potentially in exchange for technology that could enhance Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and missile capabilities.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said on Monday that some North Korean military units were already in the Kursk border region, where Russia has been fighting off an incursion by the Ukrainian forces.
This follows Russian president Vladimir Putin’s June visit to Pyongyang where he and Mr Kim signed a mutual assistance pact strengthening diplomatic and diplomatic ties.
In phone calls with European commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Mr Rutte, South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol shared intelligence assessments indicating that North Korean troops could reach the frontlines “more quickly than anticipated”.
He called for strengthened coordination with European governments aimed at “monitoring and blocking” any illicit exchanges between Pyongyang and Moscow, according to a statement from his office.
Meanwhile, South Korean officials warned on Tuesday that North Korea may launch an intercontinental ballistic missile as early as November, potentially coinciding with the US presidential election.
