Seoul, South Korea – South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced on February 27th that North Korea has dispatched additional troops to Russia, prompting heightened scrutiny of the burgeoning military cooperation between the two nations. The NIS is currently working to ascertain the precise scale of the troop deployment.
According to a press release from the NIS, the deployment began in the first week of February, with North Korean soldiers reportedly being sent to the Kursk region in western Russia. This development follows earlier reports suggesting that North Korean forces had previously been involved in the conflict, suffering significant casualties and subsequently withdrawing. The current deployment is speculated to be a reinforcement and reorganization effort following those losses.
Earlier in the day, multiple sources within the South Korean military indicated that they had detected movements suggesting North Korea had deployed over 1,000 soldiers to Russia between January and February. Furthermore, preparations for continued troop deployments are reportedly underway. These troops are believed to have departed either by ship from Chongjin Port or by train from the Rajin area. Due to the troops moving outside of South Korean military surveillance networks, their exact location remains unconfirmed.
Previous reports from October of last year indicated that over 11,000 North Korean soldiers had been deployed to the Kursk region, with over 4,000 suffering casualties. Notably, there have been no confirmed reports of the remains of North Korean soldiers killed in action being repatriated to North Korea, possibly due to cost considerations.
This latest development raises serious questions about the nature and extent of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, particularly in light of international sanctions against both countries. The potential implications for regional stability and the ongoing conflict remain a significant concern for the international community. Further investigation and monitoring of this situation are crucial to understanding the full scope of this military partnership and its potential consequences.
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