North Korean Forces Deployed Near Kursk Frontlines: How Will Their Contributions to the War Effort Go?

<p >North Korean forces have reportedly been deployed to barracks near the frontlines of ongoing Russian-Ukrainian hostilities in the Russian Kursk region, according to a report from the London-based Financial Times. Citing citing Ukrainian intelligence sources, the publication reported that the 3,000 North Korean personnel deployed included several hundred special forces, with the remainder being regular forces. Their positions were 50 kilometres from the disputed Donbas region claimed by both Russia and Ukraine. The report closely coincides with a statement by U.S. President Joe Biden authorising Ukraine to attack North Korean forces if they crossed into the Donbas, stating that they could be targeted “if they invade Ukraine.” This implied that should North Korean forces remain in Kursk, Washington would not support attacks on their positions. There remains a significant possibility that Pyongyang has authorised operations by its ground units solely within internationally recognised territory, with North Korea being bound by treaty to support Russia against any hostile invasion. Ukrainian forces launchd a <a href=" target="_blank">large scale incursion </a>into Kursk on August 6, which has <a href=" target="_blank">involved</a> many of the country’s most elite units as well as <a href=" target="_blank">significant supporting units</a> from NATO member states. </p><p ><img src=" title="Ukrainian Army Leopard 2A6 Destroyed in Kursk in September 2024"></p><p >NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on October 28 stated that he could “confirm that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and North Korean units are deployed in the Kursk region,” which he referred to as “a significant escalation” in Pyongyang’s involvement in the war effort. U.S. Defence Department spokeswoman Sabrina Singh subsequently stated that the Pentagon would not impose new restrictions on the use of American weapons by Ukraine if North Korean forces joined the war effort. This statement came amid ongoing debate regarding whether the U.S. should allow<a href=" target="_blank"> long range missile strikes </a>by Western and Ukrainian forces from Ukraine to be launched across territory internationally recognised as Russian. The kinds of regular army North Korea has deployed remains uncertain, with a significant possibility remaining that the could be manning howitzers, rocket artillery, ballistic missile systems, anti-tank missile systems, or even main battle tanks, with the T-62 in particular being widely used by the Korean People’s Army and the Russian Army. </p><p ><img src=" title="North Korean Special Forces Conduct Beach Landing" ></p><p >The involvement of North Korean special forces in the war effort is expected to cause <a href=" >particularly serious issues</a> for Ukrainian forces, with their training levels and infiltration and combat skills considered among the foremost in the world. They have demonstrated very advanced capabilities both in Syria, where they were reportedly<a href=" > deployed to support </a>counterinsurgency efforts and were described as “lethal” by insurgent leaders, and in South Korea where three special forces personnel became stranded after a submarine crash in 1996. Operating deep inside South Korea, three special forces personnel managed to evade several thousand South Korean soldiers tasked with neutralising or apprehending them for 49 days. By the time two of them were finally found and eliminated they had caused 39 South Korean military casualties in total. Should North Korean forces operate beyond Kursk against more fixed Ukrainian positions in the Donbas, they could potentially cause very serious disruption to Ukrainian defences. North Korean special forces are trained for combat against U.S. and South Korean positions on the Korean Peninsula, which are more densely manned by forces far better armed and trained than the <a href=" target="_blank">predominantly conscript army</a> in the Ukrainian theatre. </p>