North Korean troops fighting in Russia confirmed!
Seoul, Apr 28 (EFE).-
North Korea confirmed for the first time Monday that it has deployed troops to Russia to support its offensive against Ukraine, under the strategic partnership treaty signed with Moscow in June 2024.
North Korea’s state news agency KCNA quoted the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party as saying that North Korean soldiers participated in the recapture of the Kursk region, carrying out a direct order from leader Kim Jong-un.
The report largely echoes the Kremlin’s propaganda narrative, accusing Ukraine of invading Russian territory with the support of Western “imperialist” forces and describing North Korean troops as key to the liberation of the region and the “annihilation of neo-Nazi forces.”
The North Korean regime hailed the Kursk operation as a victory “of justice over injustice” and a “new chapter in the history of militant friendship” between the two countries.
The agency quoted Kim as justifying the military participation as a “sacred mission” to strengthen friendship with Russia and defend national honor.
He also announced the construction of a monument in Pyongyang to commemorate the fallen, as well as special state measures to support their families, which could serve as indirect confirmation of the existence of casualties among North Korean combatants.
It added that Kim personally ordered their participation after concluding that the situation met the conditions for triggering Article 4 of the bilateral treaty, which provides for mutual assistance in the event of war.
The official confirmation comes just two days after Russia acknowledged for the first time the participation of North Korean soldiers on the front lines, in a videoconference between President Vladimir Putin and the Chief of the Russian Gen. Staff Valery Gerasimov.
South Korea estimates that more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia in October, and that another 3,000 joined in the first months of this year. Thousands of North Korean casualties have also been reported, and two soldiers were captured alive by Ukrainian forces in January, according to images released by Kyiv.
The South Korean government on Monday strongly condemned North Korea’s admission that it had sent troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine, calling the action a “confession of a criminal act” and a “flagrant violation of international law.”
Defense Ministry spokesman Jeon Ha-kyu said at a press conference in Seoul that North Korea’s official acknowledgment of its participation in the war in Ukraine constitutes the acceptance of an illegal act that violates the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.
A foreign ministry official criticized as “a contempt for the international community” the fact that North Korea and Russia have repeatedly denied deploying troops despite constant evidence, only to publicly acknowledge it and claim that it complies with international law, according to local news agency Yonhap.
Unification Ministry spokesman Koo Byung-sam denounced the deployment of North Korean troops as “a grave provocation” and “a blatant violation” of international sanctions.
He demanded the immediate withdrawal of soldiers deployed on the front lines and said that if the military alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow continues, South Korea will act “firmly” alongside the international community.
The Pyongyang-Moscow alliance has strengthened significantly since the June signing of the treaty in Pyongyang, with reports pointing to an exchange of military support for economic resources, amid the international sanctions facing the North Korean regime. EFE rvb/lds
