Record number of North Korean citizens arrive in Russia for alleged training – media

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.

Source: Mediazona, a Russian media outlet, citing data from the Russian Federal Security Border Service 

Quote: "Border officials reported that 3,765 North Koreans arrived in Russia from July to September for training. For comparison, in the entire pre-COVID year of 2019, there were only 3,200 students."

Details: The media outlet notes that the quota for North Korean students in Russia remains low. In April 2024, the Russian Ministry of Education reported that about 130 North Korean students were studying in Russia at that time. "For the upcoming academic year, more than 100 applications from the Korean side were submitted for studying in Russian universities," stated Russian Education Minister Valery Falkov.

The media outlet points out that data from the Federal Security Border Service only covers the third quarter of 2024, before US intelligence publicly reported on the deployment of North Korean soldiers.

The South Korean news agency Yonhap, referencing intelligence sources, claimed that the first stage of the North Korean troop transfer took place from 8 to 13 October.

Background: 

• Prior reports indicated that North Korean military personnel were engaged in combat for the first time in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. 
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that there have already been casualties among North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia.

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