The U.S. State Department disclosed on Monday that 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Kursk, Russia, a critical battleground in the Ukraine war.
During a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “While Secretary Blinken previously reported 8,000 North Korean troops in Kursk last week, we now assess that as many as 10,000 have made their way to Kursk.”
However, Miller added that he could not confirm whether these North Korean forces have already engaged in combat operations.
Nevertheless, he emphasized, “As we have said, we expected that it was likely that they would enter into combat against Ukrainian forces.”
Earlier, Ukrainian officials reported their first encounter with North Korean troops positioned in western Kursk.
On the same day, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder confirmed that there are approximately 10,000 North Korean troops in Kursk, noting that this number may increase slightly. He also mentioned that the total number of North Korean military personnel in Russia could range from 11,000 to 12,000.
Ryder assessed that the North Korean forces likely serve as replacements for the significant casualties suffered by Russia, stating that this is a reasonable conclusion and adding that he would not want to be a North Korean soldier.
