North Korea recently sent some 3,500 additional soldiers to Russia's Far East for field training, a South Korean lawmaker said Wednesday, with the possibility of soon being dispatched to the front lines.

South Korea relies on security guarantees from the US to deter North Korean aggression, providing sites that host about 28,500 American troops. Earlier in March, a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier docked at a South Korean port, prompting the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to denounce the deployment of strategic assets in the region.

SEOUL -- A former sergeant in the North Korean military says that few of Pyongyang's soldiers have been captured fighting against Ukraine because they're told their families will be executed if they are caught alive.