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North Korea has sent additional soldiers to Russia and redeployed some of its troops to the front line in the Kursk region, an official from South Korea’s intelligence agency told AFP on Thursday.
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies previously reported that more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to Russia last year to support its fight against a surprise Ukrainian offensive near the border.
Earlier this month, Seoul said North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk had not engaged in combat since mid-January. Ukraine also claimed they were withdrawn following heavy losses.
On Thursday, an official from South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said those troops had now been “redeployed” to the frontline.
“There also appear to have been additional troop deployments,” the official added, noting that the exact scale was still being assessed.
Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have confirmed the presence of North Korean forces in Russia. However, the two countries signed an agreement, which included a mutual defense clause, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea last year.
