Seoul: South Korea's spy agency on Wednesday confirmed North Korea's additional exports of howitzers and multiple rocket launchers to Russia. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) also said North Korean troops deployed to Russia in the Ukrainian war have partially participated in combat alongside Russia's Airborne Brigade and Marines. According to Yonhap News Agency, the NIS also reported that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui engaged in sensitive discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and added the North's leader Kim Jong-un could make a visit to Russia. Choe visited Russia earlier this month, during which she met her counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and Putin. Her visit came at a time when tensions have heightened with the North's deployment of thousands of troops to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine.