North Korea Confirms Deployment of Soldiers to Aid Russia in Ukraine War
In a significant development, North Korea confirmed on Monday for the first time that it had sent soldiers to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine. Kim Jong Un, the country’s leader, lauded the troops’ efforts, stating they played a key role in the effort to “annihilate” Ukrainian forces and regain Russian-held territories.
The announcement, made through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), stated that the deployment was in line with a mutual defense treaty signed between Moscow and Pyongyang in 2023. The Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party emphasized that North Korean soldiers had actively participated with Russian forces in the “liberation” of the Kursk region, with Kim Jong Un referring to them as “heroes” and “representatives of the honor of the motherland.”
Kim praised the soldiers for their dedication to what he called a just cause and expressed North Korea’s pride in its alliance with Russia. He referred to the alliance as “an honor to have a partnership with such a powerful state as the Russian Federation.”
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This confirmation comes after months of speculation about North Korean military personnel being involved in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. Although reports of their presence had surfaced, Pyongyang had previously refrained from commenting.
In addition to the announcement, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that Kim Jong Un plans to construct a monument in Pyongyang to honor the North Korean soldiers involved in the conflict, marking a rare acknowledgment of casualties within the North Korean ranks. The monument will feature “flowers praying for immortality” placed at the graves of fallen soldiers.
Estimates of North Korea’s military involvement vary. Earlier this year, Ukrainian officials suggested that around 14,000 North Korean troops had been deployed, with 3,000 reinforcements arriving after early losses. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that about 4,000 North Korean soldiers had been either killed or wounded, but the United States estimated the number to be closer to 1,200. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported 300 dead and 2,700 injured.
The announcement comes just days after Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov praised the North Korean soldiers’ “heroism”, specifically crediting them for helping recapture the Kursk region. However, Ukraine’s General Staff disputed this, asserting that their defensive operations in parts of the Kursk region were ongoing.
North Korea’s public confirmation of its involvement signals a further deepening of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, following a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement signed between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin in June 2023. The agreement pledges mutual support in times of conflict, and the recent confirmation is likely to exacerbate tensions in the ongoing Ukraine war, raising concerns among Western governments about the increasing scale of international involvement.
