North Korea confirms it deployed troops to Russia for first time

North Korea has officially acknowledged its dispatch of troops to Russia to fight against Ukraine on Monday, just two days after Russia did so in the latest effort by the two allies to justify the military support.

Bae Eun-ji starts us off.

North Korea confirmed for the first time that it has sent troops to support Russia's war efforts against Ukraine.

Citing the North's ruling party, the state news agency KCNA said Monday that the troop deployment was ordered by leader Kim Jong-un himself, who made the decision under the 'comprehensive strategic partnership treaty,' which he signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.

Article 4 of the treaty says North Korea and Russia "shall immediately provide military and other assistance" to the other party if it "falls into a state of war due to armed invasion from an individual or multiple states."

Kim Jong-un reportedly hailed those deployed to Russia as 'heroes' and representatives of the honor of the motherland.

And the KCNA also cited the Central Military Commission of the regime's ruling Workers' Party as saying the deployment of troops showed the firm alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow, as it declared Russia's victory in a battle to "liberate the Kursk region."

This comes after Russia on Saturday local time confirmed that all Ukrainian troops were forced out of the western Russian region of Kursk, with the help of North Korean troops.

"I would like to separately note the participation of the servicemen of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the liberation of the border areas of the Kursk region, who, provided significant assistance in the defeat of the wedged group of the Ukrainian armed forces."

South Korea's intelligence agency in October of last year assessed that around 12-thousand North Korean troops had been deployed to the Kursk region.

The news also comes as Kim Jong-un is likely set to visit Moscow for Russia's Victory Day celebration in May and as U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Vatican City on the sidelines of the pope's funeral to discuss a potential ceasefire deal.

Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.