▲ Video footage of North Korean troops who joined the war in Ukraine to support Russia is seen in this file photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 1, 2025. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

NK troops-Ukraine

N. Korean troops still active in Russia's Kursk region against Ukraine: report

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korean troops dispatched to Russia for combat in Ukraine in 2024 were still carrying out attacks targeting Ukraine's forces in border areas, according to a Ukrainian media report.

Citing Ukraine's military intelligence agency HUR, the Kyiv Independent reported Wednesday (local time) that North Korean troops were stationed in Russia's Kursk region as of January and launching attacks on Ukrainian border provinces.

The report said the North Korean soldiers were firing barrel artillery and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) targeting Ukrainian forces, and conducting aerial and artillery reconnaissance.

Without disclosing the exact number, the intelligence agency reportedly said the North Korean soldiers stationed in Kursk were rotated regularly under a bilateral agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang.

It also said around 3,000 trained soldiers have since returned to North Korea, with most of them passing on skills gained in war to the North Korean army, according to HUR.

North Korea has sent more than 11,000 combat troops to support Russia's war efforts since October 2024. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in June the same year.

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[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]