Thousands of North Korean soldiers are said to have already been killed or injured fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region.
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North Korea has sent more troops to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine, after the first wave of soldiers it deployed last year suffered heavy casualties, South Korea has said.
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, dispatched as many as 12,000 troops to Russia in 2024 as part of his alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Ukrainian, South Korean and US intelligence officials.
Thousands of them are believed to have been killed or injured fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine seized territory in an unexpected offensive in August.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on Wednesday that more North Korean forces had recently been deployed to Russia. It added that it was trying to ascertain how many soldiers had been moved there.
The statement from NIS came as South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper claimed that an extra 1,000 to 3,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Kursk between January and February.
North Korean forces were back in action in the Russian region in early February, following a temporary withdrawal from the frontlines, according to the NIS.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed on 7 February that North Korean troops were fighting once more alongside their Russian counterparts.
Although they are regarded as highly disciplined, experts say that North Korean soldiers have struggled to cope in Kursk because of their unfamiliarity with drone warfare and their lack of combat experience.
Kim and Putin have held several summits in recent years to strengthen the ties between their nations, which are both heavily sanctioned by the West.
In November, the two leaders ratified a defence agreement which calls on each to help the other in the event of an armed attack.
As well as receiving economic assistance, South Korea and the West fear that Pyongyang could gain weapons technology from Moscow. This could help it to improve its nuclear programme, something Kim has pledged to enhance.