North Korea 'sending 12,000 troops to fight for Putin in Ukraine' sparking WW3 fears

12,000 North Korean troops are said to be joining the Russian army on the frontline in Ukraine - with soldiers having reportedly already set off, according to the National Intelligence Service

North Korea looks set to deploy 12,000 troops to support Russia's war with Ukraine, sparking fears the conflict could be about to burst into a much wider war.

The chilling discovery was made by South Korean intelligence, with the troops having already left North Korea according to the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

South Korea's presidential office said in a statement that President Yoon Suk Yeol led an emergency meeting earlier on Friday to discuss North Korea's troop dispatch to Ukraine.

The statement said those in the meeting agreed that North Korea's troop dispatch posed a grave security threat to South Korea and the international community.

No further details were given, including when and how many soldiers have been sent to Ukraine. It also remains unknown at this stage what roles the troops are expected to play.

Earlier, reports had emerged that Putin and Kim Jong-un signed a secret "mutual aid agreement" in June that may have facilitated the transfer of ammunition and missiles, and also military personnel.

Sources with knowledge of the war in Ukraine claimed North Korean soldiers were being trained to be deployed on the frontline after Russia faced a high numbers of casualties. Dozens of North Korean technicians are also believed to have been sent to Ukraine to assist in the deployment of exported weapons, including KN-23 ballistic missiles.

News of the deployment comes hours after Ukraine's President Zelensky warned such a move could be the first step in a wider world war.

On Thursday, he revealed his government had intelligence that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities could turn the conflict into a "world war".

"From our intelligence we've got information that North Korea sent tactical personnel and officers to Ukraine," Mr Zelensky told reporters at Nato headquarters. "They are preparing on their land 10,000 soldiers, but they didn't move them already to Ukraine or to Russia."

Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said however that the western alliance "have no evidence that North Korean soldiers are involved in the fight."

But he added: "We do know that North Korea is supporting Russia in many ways, weapons supplies, technological supplies, innovation, to support them in the war effort. And that is highly worrying."

The US, South Korea and their partners have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery shells, missiles and other equipment to help fuel its war in Ukraine.

Outside officials and experts say North Korea in exchange possibly received badly needed food and economic aid and technology assistance aimed at upgrading President Kim Jong Un's nuclear-armed military.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have repeatedly denied the existence of an arms deal between the countries.