The U.S. government announced on October 31 that it had acquired information pointing to the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region amid the escalating tension with Ukraine. Robert Wood, the U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN, shared this information at a Security Council meeting, where he stressed the reliability of the intelligence and requested confirmation from the Russian representative regarding the presence of North Korean forces.
In response, the Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, refrained from confirming or denying the claim. The day before, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia had already dismissed claims of North Korean troop deployments as “lies” during a previous Security Council session.
Wood’s report suggests that the number of North Korean troops is nearly double the 4,500 personnel previously identified by Ukraine. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN, recently stated that North Korean forces have reached the Russia-Ukraine border and are expected to participate in combat operations by November. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also mentioned that North Korean troops are preparing for engagement in Kursk.
Since August, Ukrainian forces have targeted the Kursk region in mainland Russia, where intense fighting continues. The prospect of North Korean involvement in this area is attracting significant attention.
South Korea’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Kim Sang Jin, criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and highlighted North Korea’s history of violating Security Council resolutions. He stated, “Russia has enlisted the military of a rogue regime, North Korea, to sustain its unjustified war.” Ambassador Kim also noted that North Korea’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch constitutes another violation of Security Council resolutions.
As tensions between the U.S. and Russia rise, the international community closely monitors the Kursk region’s situation and the global response to these developments.
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