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North Korean Troops Pulled From Kursk Frontlines, South Korean Intelligence Confirms

North Korean troops sent to assist Russia’s war against Ukraine have seemingly been absent from combat in the front-line Kursk region since mid-January, Yonhap reported, citing the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) revealed on February 4.
NIS confirmed data, supporting a recent report from The New York Times, which stated that North Korean soldiers, who had been fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, were pulled from the front lines in mid-January due to heavy casualties, according to Ukrainian and US officials.
“Since mid-January, there have been no signs showing North Korean troops deployed to the Russian Kursk region engaging in battle,” the NIS said.
The South Korean intelligence agency stated that heavy casualties seem to be one reason for the absence of North Korean troops, while efforts are ongoing to determine the precise cause.
On January 21, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that 4,000 North Korean soldiers, out of 12,000 deployed, have been killed in battles on the Kursk front.
At the same time, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported on January 13 that 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed in action, while 2,700 have been wounded.
On December 14, Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia had deployed North Korean soldiers for the first time to attack Ukrainian positions in Russia’s Kursk region.