North Korea Troop Purinogen: North Korea confirms the deployment of a contingent to support Russia in the Cursk region

North Korea officially confirmed on Monday that it deployed troops in Russia to assist in Moscow’s efforts to retrieve its cursive territory, marking Pyongyang’s first partnership in a major conflict since the Korean war.
According to a statement by the Central Military Commission of North Korea, the deployment was done by the state media in June 2024 under a mutual defense treaty signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kim said that the decision was “to eliminate the Ukrainian new-Nazi occupiers and eradicate and free the Kursk region in collaboration with the Russian armed forces, according to the news agency AP. He said, “Those who fought for justice are all representatives of the hero and the honor of the motherland,” with a plan to build a memorial in Pyongyang to honor the fallen soldiers.
While North Korea did not disclose the exact number or casualties of soldiers sent, South Korean intelligence earlier estimated that last year Pyongyang sent between 10,000 and 12,000 soldiers, with about 4,000 killed or injured.
The South Korean army also evaluated that around 3,000 additional North Korean soldiers were sent earlier this year.
The Ukrainian forces still informed President Putin on Saturday, despite claiming appearance in some parts of the Kursk, that the Russian forces aided by the North Korean soldiers had fully reconciled the region. Garasimov praised North Korean people for their “high professionalism, luck, courage and valor”.
However, Ukraine’s general employees fought these claims, stating that defensive operation in Kursk continued. According to the news agency AFP, Ukrainian President Volodimier Zelanski also reiterated on Sunday that the Ukrainian force was “maintaining our presence on the Russian region”.
Experts believe that North Korea’s public acknowledgment was pre-determined with Russia. The AFP, president of the North Korean Studies University in Seoul, was quoted by the AFP, saying that Pyongyang was likely to calculate that the benefits of Russian compensation caused its international image to defeat the potential loss.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing war are intensifying. US President Donald Trump and Zelancesi discussed a possible ceasefire during their meeting in Vatican City over the weekend. Trump, who had previously expressed confidence in brokering peace, later expressed doubt about Putin’s desire to end the struggle.
Dorth Korea’s deep participation with Russia has raised concerns in Washington and Seoul. It is feared that Moscow may reward Pyongyang with advanced military technology, promoting its nuclear weapon program. South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have also warned of wider weapons supply that North Korea is providing to Russia.