Kursk
\nNorth Korea has for the first time confirmed that it sent troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. In a report on state news agency KCNA, Pyongyang\u2019s military claimed its soldiers helped Russian forces \u201ccompletely liberate\u201d the Kursk border region, according to an order given by leader Kim Jong Un.
\nPyongyang\u2019s announcement comes just days after Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov praised the \u201cheroism\u201d of North Korean troops, the first time Moscow has publicly acknowledged their involvement.
\nWestern officials had earlier told the BBC they believed at least 1,000 of the 11,000 troops sent from North Korea had been killed over three months.
\nGerasimov also claims Moscow regained full control of the country\u2019s western Kursk region – a claim denied by Ukraine.
\nResponding to the statement, the US said North Korea must now bear responsibility for perpetuating the war.
\nSouth Korean and Western intelligence have long reported that Pyongyang dispatched thousands of troops to Kursk last year.
\nThe decision to deploy troops was in accordance with a mutual defense treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow, KCNA said.
\n\u201cThey who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland,\u201d Kim said according to KCNA. North Korea and Russia demonstrated their \u201calliance and brotherhood\u201d in Kursk, adding that a \u201cfriendship proven by blood\u201d will greatly contribute to expanding the relationship \u201cin every way\u201d.
\nIt added that North Korea would support the Russian army again.
\nKCNA did not say what would happen to the North Korean troops after their mission in Kursk ended and whether they would be able to return home.
\nReports that North Korean soldiers had been deployed to fight for Russia first emerged in October, following the deepening of bilateral ties between Kim and Putin.
\nThis included the signing of an accord where both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Kim agreed to support each other if either country was dealing with \u201caggression\u201d.
\nMilitary experts have said that the North Korean troops, reportedly from an \u201celite\u201d unit called the Storm Corps, are unprepared for the realities of modern warfare.
\n\u201cThese are barely trained troops led by Russian officers who they don\u2019t understand,\u201d former British Army tank commander, Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon had said earlier this year.
\nDespite this, Ukraine\u2019s top military commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi had earlier also warned that North Korean soldiers were posing a significant problem for Ukrainian fighters on the front line.
\n\u201cThey are numerous. An additional 11,000-12,000 highly motivated and well-prepared soldiers who are conducting offensive actions. They operate based on Soviet tactics. They rely on their numbers,\u201d the general told Ukraine\u2019s TSN Tyzhden news programme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kursk North Korea has for the first time confirmed that it sent troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. In a report on state news agency KCNA, Pyongyang\u2019s military claimed its soldiers helped Russian forces \u201ccompletely liberate\u201d the Kursk border region, according to an order given by leader Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang\u2019s announcement comes just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":475364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-475352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n