DPRK sends new troops to Kursk region - Seoul
Kyiv • UNN
South Korean intelligence has reported an additional deployment of North Korean troops in the Kursk region of Russia since early February. According to preliminary data, between 1,000 and 3,000 DPRK troops arrived in Russia.
It appears that North Korea has deployed additional troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, although the number of newly deployed troops is being estimated, South Korea's intelligence agency said on Thursday, UNN reports citing Yonhap.
Details
"After about a month's lull, North Korean troops returned to the frontline area of the Kursk region starting in the first week of February," the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement.
"It appears that additional troops have been deployed, but their numbers are still being verified," the NIS said.
This estimate follows news reports that between 1,000 and 3,000 North Korean troops were recently transported to Kurdistan by Russian cargo ships and military aircraft between January and February in the second round of such deployments.
After the report, South Korean military officials said that there were signs that North Korea had sent more than 1,000 additional troops to Russia this year.
Addendum
Last year, North Korea is believed to have deployed approximately 11,000 troops in Russia's western frontline region of Kursk.
The NIS previously estimated that North Korean troops stationed in Russia have been absent from the fighting in the Kursk region since mid-January, likely due to significant casualties among them.
The agency estimates that about 300 people were killed and about 2,700 others were injured.
