For the first time, North Korea has issued an official confirmation that it has dispatched troops to Russia to aid in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a statement released by the governing Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission that the deployment of combat forces was decided upon in accordance with a pact of mutual defense with Russia.
“Annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces,” the statement quoted Kim as saying, according to state media.
“Those who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland,” Kim remarked, as reported in the statement.
Months of speculation have culminated in the confirmation. Previous reports from U.S., South Korean, and Ukrainian security services indicated that in the fall of 2024, Russia received a deployment of 10,000 to 12,000 North Korean troops. Up to this point, North Korea had remained silent on the deployment.
Following heavy losses on the Russian-Ukrainian frontlines, the South Korean military said earlier this year that Pyongyang had dispatched an extra 3,000 troops to Russia. Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea assessed casualties among North Korean soldiers at over 4, 000.
Similar casualty statistics were claimed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said that approximately 4,000 North Korean troops had been injured or killed. On the other hand, the United States intelligence community put the figure closer to 1,200.