Up to 8,000 North Korean troops remain in Russia’s Kursk region, says Ukrainian military intelligence

An official from Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence service told the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday that as of January, units of the Korean People’s Army were still deployed in Kursk and were participating in combat operations against Ukraine under Russian command. The force is estimated at around 8,000 troops, though some assessments put the number as high as 10,000.

The disclosure suggests that North Korean combat units have remained in the region even after Moscow and Pyongyang announced Russia’s recapture of Kursk last year.

The GUR official said North Korean troops are involved not only in shelling areas near the Ukrainian border but also in aerial and artillery reconnaissance, as well as fire control for multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS). This indicates that North Korean forces may be participating in aerial reconnaissance to identify targets or to guide artillery fire, and could also be playing an active role in drone operations.

The involvement suggests that North Korean troops are gaining hands-on experience with MLRS tactics while improving strike accuracy in real time.

As Ukrainian forces have largely withdrawn from the Kursk region, North Korean troops remaining there appear to have been deployed primarily in a defensive role, rather than the trench-style combat seen in the early stages of their involvement.

Kursk had been discussed as a potential bargaining chip in cease-fire or peace negotiations, possibly to be exchanged for Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia, such as Donbas and Crimea. Analysts believe North Korean troops may be helping Russia secure the area to prevent Ukraine from reclaiming leverage in negotiations.

According to intelligence authorities, North Korea initially deployed about 11,000 troops, including units from the XI Corps, also known as the Storm Corps, and the Reconnaissance General Bureau, followed by a second deployment of 1,000 to 3,000 troops, and a third deployment of around 6,000 engineering troops — bringing the total to 17,000 to 20,000 personnel.

Of those, as many as 2,000 are believed to have been killed, with 4,000 to 5,000 wounded. The fact that 8,000 to 10,000 troops remain in Kursk suggests that only a small number have so far returned to North Korea.

Photos released by North Korean state media in December 2025, showing a ceremony marking the return of an engineering unit, depict about 1,000 soldiers posing with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, some seated in wheelchairs due to injuries.

On June 30 last year, North Korea released propaganda footage showing Kim embracing coffins draped with the national flag and shedding tears. Fewer than 10 coffins were visible in the video.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY LEE YU-JUNG [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]