Pyongyang: North Korea on Monday confirmed for the first time that it has deployed troops to support Russia in Moscow's war against Ukraine under their mutual defense treaty. The North's deployment was made by "the order" of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in accordance with Pyongyang's mutual defense treaty with Moscow, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the KCNA cited the North's Central Military Commission, marking the first official confirmation of troop deployment to Russia. This comes months after thousands of North Korean troops were sent to Russia for combat in the front-line region of Kursk. The operations for liberating the Kursk area were conducted to repel what was described as an adventurous invasion by Ukrainian authorities.
The report further stated that the operations in Kursk were victoriously concluded. It highlighted that subunits of the national armed forces participated in these operations "according to the order of the country's head of state," Kim Jong-un. The confirmation of this deployment underscores the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia under their defense agreement.