Pyongyang deploys additional troops to Russia, South Korean intelligence says

Pyongyang has sent additional troops to Russia and deployed North Korean soldiers to the frontline in the Kursk region, South Korea's spy agency told AFP on Thursday. "The North Korean military, after a lull of about a month, has been redeployed to the frontline in the Kursk region... and some additional troop deployments appear to have taken place," an agency official said, without providing a number.

In early February, South Korean intelligence said that troops deployed by North Korea to Russia had not been seen in combat in the Kursk region since mid-January. According to Kiev, they had been withdrawn from the area after suffering heavy losses. On Thursday, a South Korean intelligence official told AFP that North Korean soldiers had been "redeployed" to the region. At the same time, he said that "some additional troop deployments appear to have taken place."

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia to date. However, the two countries concluded a security and defense treaty in June 2024, during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea.