By Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0,
North Korea seems to have sent additional forces to assist Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, according to South Korea’s intelligence agency, as reported by local media on Thursday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of Seoul indicated in a press release that it is currently evaluating the number of troops recently deployed, as per a report from the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
This evaluation comes in light of reports suggesting that between 1,000 and 3,000 North Korean soldiers were transported to Kursk via Russian cargo vessels and military aircraft from January to February this year, marking the second phase of troop deployment, as noted by Yonhap. Previously, the NIS had assessed that North Korean forces sent to Russia had not engaged in combat in the Kursk area since mid-January, likely due to significant casualties. The agency estimated that approximately 300 soldiers were killed, with around 2,700 others sustaining injuries.
At the start of this month, Colonel Oleksandr, a representative of the Ukrainian military’s Special Operations Forces, informed CNN that North Korean troops have not been observed on the front lines for the last three weeks. Oleksandr Kindratenko was quoted as stating, “The presence of DPRK troops has not been noted for approximately three weeks, likely due to their withdrawal following significant losses.’Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also acknowledged similar reports. Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence estimates indicate that around 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia, with approximately 4,000 of them reported as killed or injured.
According to CNN, referencing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank based in Washington, D.C., Ukraine has made progress in the Kursk region as of January 26. Conversely, the Russian military has claimed to have regained control of that area. In November of the previous year, Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified a bilateral treaty with North Korea, which includes a commitment to mutual military support in the event of an attack on either nation. Since the onset of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, military collaboration between Russia and North Korea has intensified.
