North Korea first proposed sending troops to Russia, says U.S. intelligence official

"North Korea has proposed to Russia that it send more than 10,000 North Korean troops," the New York Times reported on the 23rd (local time), citing a U.S. intelligence official.
US intelligence officials said, "The decision to send troops to Russia was proposed by North Korea and quickly accepted by Russian President Vladimir Putin."
Until now, Western countries have said that North Korea's deployment of troops shows Russia's desperation as it faces a military supply shortage amid the prolonged Ukrainian war.
However, a U.S. intelligence official explained that "North Korea did not respond to Russia's request to send troops, but rather North Korea proposed it itself."
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