NIS confirms deployment of additional N. Korean troops to Kursk

North Korea is said to have dispatched more troops to assist Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

More than a thousand soldiers may have been sent to the front lines in Kursk again amid speculation over snowballing casualties.

Choi Min-jung reports.

North Korea has reportedly deployed another batch of troops to support the Russian military.

According to the National Intelligence Service on Thursday, additional North Korean troops have been deployed to the front lines in Kursk since early February.

The exact number is yet to be determined, but military sources speculate over 1-thousand have been sent.

This deployment follows a period of relative calm lasting about a month, during which the North Korean military had reportedly withdrawn from the front lines due to a significant number of casualties.

One source stated that if the troops depart by ship from Chongjin Port or travel by train from Najin, their exact whereabouts are difficult to track because they may move beyond the military's surveillance, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military is closely monitoring.

"Our military is closely monitoring the movements of North Korean troops."

In October last year,. the regime deployed around 11-thousand North Korean soldiers to Russia.

So far, around 4-thousand casualties have been reported.

A senior Unification Ministry official said Thursday that the additional troop deployment is expected to be a part of a planned rotation to maintain combat readiness.

Choi Min-jung, Arirang News.