North Korea Confirms Troops Fought for Russia in Ukraine, Claims Role in Liberating Kursk Region

World

For the first time, North Korea has confirmed that it sent troops to Ukraine to fight alongside Russian forces, marking a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. According to a report by North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, Pyongyang's military claimed that its soldiers played a crucial role in helping Russian forces "completely liberate" the Kursk border region.

The announcement, which comes shortly after Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov praised the "heroism" of North Korean soldiers, is the first official acknowledgment from Moscow regarding the involvement of North Korean troops. This statement by Russia further solidifies the alliance between North Korea and Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, in a statement carried by KCNA, hailed the soldiers sent to Ukraine as "heroes" and "representatives of the honour of the motherland." Kim emphasized that their contributions were part of a mutual defense agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow, further reinforcing the strategic alliance between the two countries.

The report stated that North Korean troops had been involved in securing the Kursk region, an area close to the Ukrainian border, and claimed that the region was "completely liberated" by Russian forces. However, this claim was disputed by Ukraine, which denied that Russia had regained full control over the region.

Western officials had previously reported that as many as 1,000 North Korean soldiers out of an estimated 11,000 sent to fight in Ukraine had been killed over a span of three months. These reports were initially unconfirmed by Pyongyang, but the recent acknowledgment of troop involvement lends credibility to these assessments.

In the aftermath of this confirmation, the United States issued a statement condemning North Korea’s involvement in the conflict, saying that Pyongyang must now bear responsibility for perpetuating the war. South Korean and Western intelligence agencies had long suspected North Korea's involvement in the conflict, particularly in the Kursk region, where they reported the presence of North Korean troops as early as last year.

Pyongyang's statement further emphasized the deepening ties between North Korea and Russia, describing the partnership as a "friendship proven by blood" and promising continued support for the Russian military. However, the KCNA report did not specify what would happen to the North Korean troops once their mission in Kursk concluded, nor whether they would be allowed to return to North Korea.

This revelation underscores the growing international implications of North Korea's involvement in the Ukraine conflict and its strategic alignment with Russia in the face of ongoing Western sanctions and diplomatic isolation.