U.S. official says N. Korea sent more troops to Russia to replace lost forces

A U.S. defense official has reportedly confirmed the additional deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.

Citing the unnamed official Radio Free Asia on Thursday added that the deployment comes as part of efforts to replace those killed on the front lines.

The exact number of the soldiers was not shared.

North Korea is believed to have lost some four-thousand troops out of the 12-thousand deployed to Russia last October.

This latest report follows an assessment by South Korean lawmaker Yoo Yong-won who recently visited Ukraine.

He believes an additional five-thousand North Korean soldiers have been sent to renew support of Russian aggression against Ukraine.