Russia said that North Korean soldiers had provided ‘significant assistance’ to its military in retaking the Kursk region from Ukrainian control.
North Korea disclosed for the first time on April 28 that it had deployed troops to Russia to help Moscow regain control of the Kursk region, which had previously been occupied by Ukrainian troops.
The North Korean ruling party said the troop deployment was ordered by leader Kim Jong Un as part of the “comprehensive strategic partnership” he signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin last year, according a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
In the statement, Kim referred to the soldiers as “heroes,” saying that their deployment demonstrated the “firm alliance” between the two countries.
The North Korean leader said that a monument will soon be erected in Pyongyang, the North’s capital city, to honor those soldiers, according to the report.
Russia also confirmed that North Korean soldiers were fighting alongside its forces against Ukrainian invasion in the Kursk region—the first such admission by the Kremlin about North Korea’s involvement in the war.
Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said on April 26 that North Korean soldiers had provided “significant assistance” to Russia in retaking the last settlement in the Kursk region from Ukrainian occupation.
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While Russia has claimed to have pushed out all Ukrainian forces from Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his troops still maintain their presence in the region.
In response, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has condemned North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia, saying that it represents “a grave violation” of international norms.
“With their public admission of the deployment, while claiming they are fully in accordance with international law, they are once again mocking the international community,” the ministry was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.
The ministry warned that the Russia–North Korea military cooperation “seriously undermines peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond” and said it will cooperate with the international community to prevent any potential security threats.
The U.S. State Department has urged North Korea to end its troop deployment to Russia, noting that Russia had violated the U.N. Security Council resolutions by training North Korean soldiers.
In November 2024, the Pentagon estimated that around 10,000 North Korean troops were deployed to the Kursk region to fight Ukrainians. Neither North Korea nor Russia confirmed the troop deployment at the time.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in January that at least 300 North Korean soldiers sent to support Russia are believed to have been killed and 2,700 others injured, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The NIS said that North Korean soldiers appeared to have a lack of understanding in modern warfare and were allegedly ordered to take their own lives to avoid being captured by Ukrainian forces.
South Korea’s national security adviser said last year that Russia had supplied North Korea with economic and military technology support in exchange for troops aiding its war in Ukraine.
Reuters and Owen Evans contributed to this report.
