North Korea sends additional troops to help Russia - South Korean intelligence
Photo: Kim Jong Un has sent additional troops to help Putin (Getty Images)
North Korea has apparently sent additional troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine. The number of newly deployed troops is still being estimated, according to Yonhap News.
“Following about a monthlong lull, North Korean troops were placed back in the frontline region of Kursk starting in the first week of February,” the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a press release.
According to the report, “It appears that there has been a deployment of additional troops, but their size is still being examined.”
The assessment follows South Korean media reports that between 1,000 and 3,000 North Korean troops were sent to the Kursk region on Russian cargo ships and military aircraft during the second round of troop deployments between January and February.
After the report was published, South Korean military officials said that there were signs that North Korea would send more than 1,000 additional troops to Russia this year.
Last year, North Korea is believed to have sent about 11,000 troops to Russia's frontline zone near Kursk.
Earlier, the NIS estimated that North Korean troops stationed in Russia have not participated in hostilities in the Kursk region since mid-January, likely due to heavy losses among them. According to the agency, about 300 troops were killed and about 2,700 others were wounded.
North Korea's Kim Jong-un has become a key ally of Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine, helping with ammunition and soldiers, while raising concerns about North Korea's ability to strengthen its military and maintain its regime with Russian support.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that about 4,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in the Kursk region.
