North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia as Putin hails 'heroes'

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches a cadet practicing on the parallel bars during his visit to the Kang Kon Military Academy, in Pyongyang, North Korea, February 25, 2025, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea confirmed for the first time on Monday that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine under orders from leader Kim Jong Un and that it had helped regain control of Russian territory occupied by Ukraine.

North Korea's unprecedented deployment of thousands of troops, as well as massive amounts of artillery ammunition and missiles, gave Russia a crucial battlefield advantage in the western Kursk region and has brought the two economically and politically isolated countries closer.