North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to support Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian, U.S. and South Korean assessments, Pyongyang's first major involvement in a war since the 1950s.

Ukraine has said approximately one-third of the 11,000 North Koreans believed to have been deployed to Russia have been killed or injured.

South Korea said it’s willing to accept any North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine who express a desire to defect to the South, an idea that emerges amid reports of thousands of North Korean soldiers sustaining casualties in support of Russian troops.

Russia’s ambassador to North Korea said that its Asian ally is also hosting Russian children orphaned by its war against Ukraine, as the two nations deepen ties.

According to the UNITED24 Media service connected with the authorities in Kyiv, North Korean prisoners captured in January by the Ukrainian army have given their first media interview. They admitted that they were unaware of the true reason for being sent to Russia's Kursk region and also weren't properly trained.

Two North Korean prisoners of war have revealed that the officers running their battalion told them that South Koreans were operating the drones used in the war against Ukraine

South Korea has stated that it is ready to accept any North Korean soldiers captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces who wish to defect to the South, reports Bloomberg. “North Korean soldiers are our citizens under the Constitution and respecting individuals’ free will is in line with the international law and customs,

The strategic partnership between Russia and North Korea started in June 2024 after they signed a defense pact.