A number of Ukrainian and Western publications "exploded" with the news that North Korea has sent new units to Russia for combat operations. Moreover, Pyongyang allegedly dispatched not just infantry for "meat assaults," but units equipped with armored vehicles, engineers, electronic warfare equipment, and more.
At the same time, the source of these reports was the South Korean intelligence, which sent notifications to Korean media outlets. However, from the perspective of Defense Express, it should be noted that this report contained somewhat different information.
Specifically, The Korea Herald reports that the Korean intelligence did confirm the redeployment of additional units of the North Korean army, but this occurred back in early February, a month ago. Furthermore, the Korean intelligence did not provide any data regarding the numbers and composition.
As for the information suggesting that these will be mechanized units with armored vehicles, it is a forecast by military expert Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korean Institute for National Unification. He pointed out that Pyongyang has seen real benefits from sending its troops to Russia and "will go beyond infantry forces by dispatching specialized units of self-propelled artillery, electronic warfare, and reconnaissance to gain diverse combat experience." In the expert's opinion, this is one of the indicators that Moscow and Pyongyang do not foresee a quick end to the war.
Another source that reported on the composition of North Korean reinforcements is Korea JoongAng Daily. Relying on its own insider information, the publication noted that there will be motorized infantry, engineering, and electronic warfare units. It also stated that from January to February, between 1,000 and 3,000 soldiers from North Korea were transferred to the Kursk region.
Amid these insights, rather fresh comments from the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, and his deputy, Vadym Skibitskyi, to another Korean publication, The Chosun Daily, were overlooked.
In it, Ukrainian intelligence officials explicitly stated that there is no concrete evidence of additional infantry forces' presence, but a clear increase in the number of artillery, missile, and support units has been observed. As of February 17, about 1,000 North Korean soldiers are undergoing training with new military equipment.
It was also noted that a total of 12,000 soldiers from North Korea have been deployed, operating as part of larger Russian units rather than separately on their own section of the front. Throughout this time, approximately 4,000 North Koreans have been killed or seriously wounded.