In a statement on Friday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that after four months of deployment, with heavy losses and detainees, Pyongyang appears to be accelerating preparations to send more troops rather than opting to withdraw from the field.
According to a Reuters report, Ukraine recently captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, the first capture since North Korea entered the war last fall.
The Ukrainian report claims Pyongyang has sent as many as 11,000 troops, with more than 3,000 killed or wounded so far.
North Korea’s involvement in the Ukraine-Russia war is a collaboration that has been forged after a 2024 summit where Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement,” including a defense alliance.
With the Kremlin remaining silent and Pyongyang remaining firm, the world is increasingly wondering how far Russia-North Korea relations will continue to strengthen, and how the conflict will continue to heat up.
