Moscow and Pyongyang confirm North Korean forces are fighting in Ukraine, marking the first official acknowledgment of DPRK troops supporting Russia in the war.
On Monday, Moscow and Pyongyang acknowledged for the first time that North Korean military personnel are fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reported this is “a sign of the deepening army alliance and mutual-defense pact between the two nations.
The North Korean state news agency KCNA also reported that its soldiers aided the Kremlin in “liberating” the Kursk border region on the orders of supreme leader Kim Jong Un. It also follows statements made by Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, who acknowledged the “heroism” of Pyongyang’s forces. That marked the first time any Kremlin official has confirmed the deployment of North Korean military personnel to Ukraine.
“They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland,” Kim said in a statement to KCNA. He also announced plans to establish a memorial in the North Korean capital to honor the soldiers fighting in the ongoing conflict.
According to estimates from Western analysts, around 1,000 of the 11,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Ukraine have been killed in the past months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also offered praise, saying the North Korean soldiers have stood “shoulder to shoulder with Russian fighters, defended our Motherland as their own.”
He added, “The Russian people will never forget the heroism of the DPRK special forces. We will always honor the heroes who gave their lives for Russia, for our common freedom, fighting side by side with their Russian brothers in arms.”
North Korea Justifies Its Troops in Ukraine
Kim further described the deployment of North Korean troops as necessary, as required by Article 4 of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between North Korea and Russia.
“Article 4 of the Russia-North Korea Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership says that if one of the parties comes under armed attack by another country or group of countries, the other party will immediately provide it with military and other assistance,” Russian state news agency Tass explained.
The North Korean leader said the soldiers were sent “to defeat and eliminate Ukrainian neo-Nazi invaders and liberate certain areas of the Kursk Region in coordination with the Russian Armed Forces.”
In August 2024, Ukrainian forces invaded the Kursk Oblast and eventually captured around ninety-two settlements and around 1,250 square kilometers. It was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since the Second World War. The invasion took place in a part of the country near the famed 1943 Battle of Kursk, the largest tank engagement of the war.
This past weekend, Moscow claimed to have liberated the entirety of the region, though Kyiv claims it maintains a foothold.
Was Sending Troops Worth It for North Korea?
North Korea has suggested that the troops deployed were from the “elite” Storm Corps, but the reality has been quite different.
“These are barely trained troops led by Russian officers whom they don’t understand,” former British Army tank commander, Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, told the BBC earlier this year.
Soon after arriving last fall, dozens of North Korean soldiers quickly deserted. In contrast, there were reports that others began to “gorge” on pornography after having unrestricted Internet access for the first time. Discipline has increased, likely with far less access to such adult content.
Moreover, the concern for Ukraine’s military is that the North Koreans tend to employ human wave attacks, with superior numbers being their advantage. As long as Pyongyang is willing to send more troops, it will remain a serious threat to Ukraine.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/ Alexander Khitrov.
