North Korea has for the first time confirmed that it deployed soldiers to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
A report by state agency KCNA said its troops assisted Russian forces in the “completely liberate” of Russia’s western Kursk region, under an order from leader Kim Jong Un.
Pyongyang’s announcement follows Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov’s rare public praise of North Korean soldiers’ “heroism” on the battlefield. Moscow has publically acknowledge their involvement.
Western officials had previously reported the presence of North Korean troops, estimating that at least 1,000 out of 11,000 soldiers sent had been killed over three months.
Gerasimov claimed Moscow had regained full control of Kursk — a statement Ukraine has strongly denied.
The United States said North Korea must now bear responsibility for fuelling the conflict.
South Korean and Western intelligence services have long asserted that Pyongyang dispatched troops last year under a mutual defence treaty with Moscow.
Kim Jong Un reportedly hailed the soldiers as heroes, adding that North Korea and Russia had demonstrated an “alliance and brotherhood” during the campaign.
KCNA stated that the “friendship proven by blood” would continue to expand the relationship “in every way”, and pledged that Pyongyang would again support Russian forces if needed.
KCNA did not specify what would happen to the North Korean soldiers after their deployment ends.
Reports first surfaced in October that North Korea had sent soldiers, coinciding with new defence agreements between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Military analysts have cast doubt over the soldiers’ readiness, describing the units as underprepared and poorly equipped for modern warfare.
Nonetheless, Ukraine’s top general, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said North Korean troops were creating serious challenges on the front lines, citing their Soviet-style mass assault tactics.
