North Korea publicly acknowledged on Monday that it has sent soldiers to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, praising the “excellent soldiers” for their “heroic feats” in Russia’s Kursk region.
North Korea Acknowledges Its Troops in Russia
According to U.S., Ukrainian, and South Korean officials, Pyongyang dispatched approximately 12,000 troops last fall to support Moscow’s efforts in Ukraine.
Reports suggest that thousands of North Korean soldiers have died in combat. Evidence such as weapons and notes left on the battlefield, along with testimonies from two captured North Korean prisoners of war, has provided insight into their adaptation to modern warfare.
Leader Kim Jong-un authorized the deployment under a strategic partnership treaty signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin last year, North Korean state media confirmed.
Kim Jong-un’s Statement on the Deployment
North Korea’s Central Military Commission cited Kim Jong-un’s directive as an effort to “annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces.”
