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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.”

“They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland,” Kim said, according to a statement released to state media.

The U.S. government expressed deep concern over North Korea’s direct involvement in the war and urged Pyongyang to withdraw its military forces. The Biden administration emphasized that third-party countries like North Korea “bear responsibility” for exacerbating the conflict.

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Full details can be found at the Washington Post, MSN News and MSN’s second report.

Heavy Losses and Strategic Concerns

Despite lacking armored vehicles and drone warfare experience, North Korean soldiers adapted quickly, although they suffered heavy casualties.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated that up to 4,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded in the conflict.

Russia officially confirmed on Saturday that North Korean soldiers have been fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region.

North Korea’s ruling party lauded the contribution of its forces, stating that the end of the battle to liberate Kursk demonstrated the “highest strategic level of the firm militant friendship” between North Korea and Russia, as reported by the KCNA state news agency.

North Korea-Russia Alliance

Concerns are growing among South Korea, the U.S., and their allies that Russia could reward North Korea with advanced weapons technologies and economic assistance under their new partnership.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed last week that Ukrainian forces had been expelled from the final village they controlled in Kursk. Ukraine denies its troops have turned back. And claims the troops are still active in Belgorod, another Russian border region.

North Korea has also been supplying Russia with a vast number of conventional weapons, further deepening the two nations' military ties.