North Korea appears to have sent more troops to Russia to back its war against Ukraine, Seoul says

SEOUL, South Korea (AP): South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated Wednesday that North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia following heavy casualties among its soldiers deployed on the Russian-Ukraine fronts.

In a brief statement, the NIS indicated it was working to determine the exact number of troops North Korea has deployed to Russia.

The agency also assessed that North Korean troops were redeployed to the fronts in Russia’s Kursk region in the first week of February after a reported temporary withdrawal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in an address on February 7 that a new Ukrainian offensive was underway in Kursk, where North Korean troops were fighting alongside Russian forces.

North Korea has been supplying a large quantity of conventional weapons to Russia and sent about 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia last fall, according to U.S., South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence officials. Although North Korean soldiers are known to be highly disciplined and well-trained, observers note they have become easy targets for drone and artillery attacks on the battlefields due to their lack of combat experience and unfamiliarity with the terrain.

In January, the NIS reported that about 300 North Korean soldiers had died and another 2,700 had been injured. Zelenskyy previously estimated that the number of killed or wounded North Koreans was around 4,000, while U.S. estimates were lower, at about 1,200.

Earlier Wednesday, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing unidentified sources, reported that an additional 1,000 to 3,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to Kursk between January and February.

South Korea, the U.S., and their partners are concerned that Russia could reward North Korea by transferring high-tech weapon technologies that could significantly enhance its nuclear weapons program. North Korea is also expected to receive economic and other assistance from Russia.

During talks in Saudi Arabia last week, Russia and the U.S. agreed to begin working toward ending the war and improving diplomatic and economic ties, although Ukrainian officials were not present at the talks. This marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump, representing a departure from U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Observers suggest that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may send more troops to Russia in hopes of securing further Russian assistance before the war concludes.