North Korea deploys over 1,000 troops to Russia – South Korean intelligence

South Korea's National Intelligence Service has reported that North Korea has dispatched over 1,000 additional troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. These troops have reportedly been deployed to the front lines in Russia's Kursk region.

Yonhap reported this.

After about a month of lull, North Korean troops have returned to the front-line areas of the Kursk region since early February.

The intelligence service said additional DPRK troops had been deployed, the exact number of which is being determined.

The agency is currently working to establish the exact number of troops that Pyongyang has additionally sent to the Russian war against Ukraine.

At the same time, Yonhap writes, South Korean military officials announced signs revealed by intelligence that the North Korean regime has already sent more than 1,000 additional troops to Russia this year.

It is noted that the Seoul intelligence agency took into account various reports circulating in the media about the transfer to Russia from January to February of a second North Korean contingent of 1,000 to 3,000 people, who have already been transferred to the Kursk region with the help of Russian cargo ships and military aircraft.

For reference:

Last year, the DPRK sent about 11 thousand soldiers to Russia, of which, in the battles in the Kursk region, according to South Korean intelligence, at least 300 were killed and about 2,700 were injured.

Due to heavy losses, the North Korean contingent was withdrawn from the combat zone in mid-January for regrouping and recovery.

In early February, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Russian military had once again brought North Korean soldiers into the Kursk region, where new assaults have been launched. These offensives have destroyed hundreds of Russian and North Korean soldiers.

It is known that North Korea is using the war in Ukraine to test its military potential.

In particular, the Ukrainian military spoke about a change in the tactics of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. The groups of North Korean soldiers remain larger than those of the Russians; however, they are moving cautiously, which is confirmed by aerial reconnaissance.

The North Korean missiles used by the Russian army have become much more accurate since the end of December than they were before. The increase in weapons accuracy occurred suddenly after months of inaccurate launches.