NYT "North Korea First Proposed Russian Troop Deployment... Putin Accepted"

The deployment of 10,000 North Korean troops to Russia was initiated by North Korea itself, according to the New York Times (NYT) on the 23rd (local time), citing U.S. intelligence officials.

U.S. intelligence officials stated that the deployment was North Korea's idea, and Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly accepted it. Western countries had previously assessed North Korea's deployment as a sign of Russia's difficulties in manpower due to the prolonged war. However, in reality, North Korea was the one who proposed it first.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. Photo by AP

Officials said North Korea did not receive immediate compensation for the deployment. Instead, the NYT reported that North Korea seems to expect Russia to support it diplomatically and provide technology in future crisis situations.

Ukraine claimed that up to 200 North Korean soldiers have died and slightly more have been wounded, but Russia is concealing this. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "According to preliminary data, the number of North Korean soldiers killed or wounded in the Kursk region has already exceeded 3,000."

U.S. officials said it is unclear how effective the North Korean troops are on the battlefield.

A senior Ukrainian official reported that the deployed North Korean troops do not appear to be fully integrated with the Russian forces and sometimes seem to operate independently. This has increased the risk of casualties. The official also stated that North Korean troops receive better medical support than Russian forces. Wounded North Korean soldiers are transported directly to large hospitals in Kursk city rather than small local hospitals near the battlefield.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.