North Korean troops withdrawn from Kursk frontline after heavy losses

North Korean soldiers embedded with Russian forces in Ukraine’s Kursk Oblast have been withdrawn from the frontline following significant casualties, anonymous U.S. and Ukrainian officials told The New York Times.

The troops, absent from combat for roughly two weeks, may return after additional training or revised deployment strategies to mitigate losses, officials said.

Some soldiers belong to elite North Korean special forces units but were reportedly used as infantry in mine-laden areas under heavy Ukrainian fire.

Russian commanders deployed the North Koreans in "human wave" assaults across open fields, leading to severe casualties, according to the report.

On January 22, NYT reported that North Korea might send reinforcements to Kursk Oblast within two months.

South Korean officials echoed this on January 24, though troop numbers remain unclear.

Ukrainian special forces reported on January 28 to have eliminated North Korean soldiers near Kursk and seized equipment from cleared positions.