North Korean troops have been removed from the battlefield in Russia's Kursk region since mid-January, according to a report in South Korean media citing the country's spy agency.
The Yonhap news agency reported reported that Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed the findings of a recent New York Times report, which revealed — citing Ukrainian and U.S. intelligence — that North Korea’s troops had been withdrawn from the front line after suffering heavy losses.
"Since mid-January, there have been no signs of North Korean troops deployed in Russia's Kursk region engaging in combat," the NIS said.
The NIS told South Korean lawmakers in early January that at least 300 North Korean soldiers sent to Ukraine had been killed and some 2,700 others injured, Yonhap reported.
North Korea has sent around 12,000 soldiers to join forces with Russia, which is trying to expel Ukrainian troops from Russia's Kursk region after Kyiv's surprise incursion last August.
The North Koreans arrived in Russia in late October, and Ukraine reported their presence on the battlefield in December last year.
But according to NIS analysis revealed earlier this year, the soldiers sent by Pyongyang have a "lack of understanding of modern warfare," citing their "useless" attempts to shoot at long-range attack drones.
Neither the Kremlin nor Pyongyang, which signed a partnership treaty with each other last summer, have confirmed North Korea’s participation in the war against Ukraine. On Jan. 11, however, Ukrainian forces managed to capture two North Koreans alive.
Politico
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