On April 26, Russia announced that the Kursk region had been entirely liberated from Ukrainian soldiers. It was officially verified that Russian Armed Forces operations were carried out in conjunction with North Korean military personnel, who were actively engaged in combat.
The North Korea News Agency reported that “The operation to liberate areas of the Kursk region to repel the adventurous armed invasion by Ukrainian forces into Russia has been victoriously completed.” North Korean units “made a significant contribution to the destruction” of Ukraine’s forces. Their participation “shoulder to shoulder” with the Russians “thwarted the adventurous military-political attempts of the West and Kyiv authorities to derail the Special Military Operation (SMO).”
Pyongyang underscored that the DPRK military’s operations are entirely consistent with international law, which comprises the UN Charter. Based on an analysis and assessment of the current military-political situation, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un determined that the situation falls under Article 4 of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between North Korea and Russia. Consequently, he decided to deploy the North Korean armed forces for “participation in combat.” The bilateral agreement was inked in June and ratified in November 2024.
President Vladimir Putin stated, “The Russian people will never forget the heroism of Korean special forces fighters. We will always honor the Korean heroes who gave their lives for Russia, for our shared freedom, alongside our Russian brothers in arms.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky tried to refute the information regarding the destruction and expulsion of Ukrainian soldiers from Russia in an effort to avoid addressing the participation of North Korean troops in the SMO.
Either he was referring to the isolated representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) who were evacuating the region, or he was concerned that the North Koreans, working together with Russian troops, might advance toward the Sumy region and subsequently toward Kyiv.
Moscow and Pyongyang’s official statements regarding North Korea’s military involvement provoked an adverse response from the West. The US is “concerned about North Korea’s involvement in the conflict,” the American State Department said. The DPRK’s military deployment in Russia and any assistance provided by Russia in response must be stopped, it added.
According to Washington, Russia’s training of North Korean personnel is in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions, which broadly prohibit the provision or receipt of military training or assistance to or from Pyongyang. The State Department asserts that North Korea and other parties have “contributed to the continuation” of the conflict and “bear responsibility for it.”
Nevertheless, the Russian leader underscored that “DPRK soldiers assisted Russia in repelling the AFU invasion in complete compliance with international law” and that “our Korean friends acted out of a sense of solidarity, justice, and genuine camaraderie.”
The success of the treaty between the two countries was demonstrated by the participation of North Korean military forces in the liberation of the Kursk region, according to his press secretary Dmitry Peskov. Russia is prepared to provide military assistance to North Korea if necessary.
The government of South Korea issued numerous statements regarding the matter, which resulted in an extremely negative response. The Defense Ministry release stated that the involvement of North Korean personnel in the conflict in Ukraine is a clear violation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions. They have effectively confessed to perpetrating a criminal act by officially acknowledging this.
Upon the continuation of the present military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, the Ministry of Unification of Korea has called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and has pledged a “firm response” in collaboration with the international community. On the other hand, the Foreign Ministry of South Korea characterized the statements from Moscow and Pyongyang as a “mockery of the international community” and promised to implement measures in response to the “security threats” posed by the military ties between North Korea and Russia.
Simultaneously, the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses is of the opinion that the official statements of Russia and North Korea are intended to prevent Ukraine from taking any further action in relation to North Korean prisoners of war and to “obstruct the possibility of their transfer to South Korea.”
The situation is perceived as a “win-win” for both countries, as Russia aims to leverage North Korea as a valuable asset in a protracted conflict. This has “significantly elevated Pyongyang’s strategic status among Russia’s allies, opening prospects for a deeper military alliance.”
Konstantin Asmolov, a Korean studies expert, observed that Ukrainian propaganda had previously “claimed North Korean presence” in every direction where personnel of Asian appearance were observed.
According to certain experts, Kyiv has yet to acquire the ability to differentiate between North Koreans and Tatars, Bashkirs, Buryats, and other ethnic groups of Russia.
Asmolov maintains that the North Korean army possesses numerous advantages at present, including exceptional special forces training, high morale, and political motivation. Nevertheless, the “DPRK’s army still requires significant improvements,” and Russia is currently “helping its ally to eliminate these shortcomings.”
Participation in the war has substantially enhanced the combat readiness of North Korean troops, particularly in light of the ongoing military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea that are directed at the DPRK, as North Korea encounters challenges in conducting large-scale military exercises as a result of fuel shortages and other resource constraints.
Some analysts have wondered as to why Moscow has recently publicized the participation of DPRK forces in combat operations in the Kursk region.
This serves as a warning to the Kyiv regime for the future, according to military analyst Yuri Podolyaka, who is originally from the Sumy region: North Korean soldiers will once again come to aid if it attempts to enter the core territory of Russia.
Nevertheless, former Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleg Tsaryov provides a more comprehensive viewpoint: “It could be about Russia potentially using DPRK forces not just to reclaim lost territories, but to establish control over regions that have joined Russia.” In his opinion, the power balance on the battlefield could be significantly altered by the deployment of 200,000–300,000 Korean special forces.
This is likely to cover all territories, including those that are still under Kyiv’s jurisdiction, such as the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The current positions of the AFU could be rendered unsustainable by the arrival of several hundred thousand North Korean personnel at the frontlines.
This may be the reason why the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has been cautious in its observation that Russian officials have not yet disclosed the role that the North Korean military will play in the ongoing military operations. This is particularly relevant given that Russian forces have already begun to advance deeper into Ukraine via the Sumy region.
The Ukrainian media is also concerned about this, as AFU Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi stated in early April that North Korean troops continued to appear en masse on Russian territory.