Seoul confirms North Korean soldiers engaged in combat against Ukraine in Kursk Oblast

North Korean soldiers, who were previously sent to Russia, are now in Kursk Oblast and are "already engaging in combat" operations against Ukraine.

Source: Yonhap, citing South Korea's spy agency

Details: The intelligence service reported that "North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia have moved to Kursk Oblast over the past two weeks and their deployment to battlefields has been completed".

Background:

• On 7 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia, have already suffered losses.
• A record number of North Korean citizens arrived in Russia in the third quarter of 2024, citing "training" as their reason for travel amid reports of North Korean troops being deployed to participate in the war against Ukraine.
• The US Department of State said that Russia's success on the battlefield using the North Korean military will depend on the level of their integration into the Russian army.
• Last week, two US officials confirmed that North Korean troops were involved in combat operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast for the first time.
• The New York Times reported that 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers are preparing to launch a large-scale counteroffensive in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

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