Seoul, April 27 Russia confirmed for the first time that North Korean troops have been deployed and are fighting alongside Moscow in the war against Ukraine, media reports said.
Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, took note of the "role of North Korean fighters" in the Kursk border region, as he reported on the "complete liberation" of the territory to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yonhap news agency reported quoting Russia's TASS and Ria Novosti.
"I want specially to note the participation of servicemen of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in liberating border areas of the Kursk region ... in accordance with the Treaty on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our countries," he was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency, referring to North Korea by its official name.
It marks the first acknowledgement of the North Korean troop deployment by a Russian official. North Korea has not confirmed the dispatch.
Gerasimov said the North Korean soldiers were "accomplishing combat objectives shoulder to shoulder" with the Russian forces, and "showed high professionalism and displayed endurance, courage and heroism in combat," according to TASS.
Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson, also left a similar comment in her first acknowledgement of the North Korean soldiers.
"Gerasimov reported that North Korean fighters, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Russian soldiers in Kursk Region demonstrated resilience and heroism. We will never forget our friends," Sputnik reported quoting her from a Telegram post.
South Korea and the US believe the North has sent some 11,000 troops to front lines in Ukraine since last October in support of Moscow's aggression.
They estimate that some 4,000 of them have been wounded and believe that the North may have sent another 3,000 soldiers to Russia early this year.
Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the partnership treaty at their June summit last year, in which they committed to providing military support "without delay" in the event either of them comes under attack.
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