Over 10,000 North Korean soldiers have reportedly entered Russia to boost its forces fighting Ukraine, with several placed in the front lines like Kursk, South Korea’s defense ministry said on Tuesday. The comments came after the Pentagon said it could confirm at least 10,000 North Korean soldiers in the Kursk area near the Ukrainian border, though it could not confirm reports that they were engaging in combat.
According to the Ukrainian intelligence agency, some 12,000 North Korean soldiers remain in Russia, with 500 officers and three generals, who are being trained in five Russian military bases. South Korea’s defense ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou said, “From our intelligence sources, we know that over 10,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia now and thousands of them have been sent to the frontline regions including Kursk.”.
He wouldn’t say whether North Korean troops were actually fighting when asked to confirm. He also would neither confirm nor deny a South Korean media report citing, on condition of anonymity, an unnamed government official that some 40 North Korean soldiers died in combat.