Kim Jong Un with his soldiers. Photo: Getty Images

A record number of North Korean citizens arrived in Russia in the third quarter of 2024, citing “training” as the reason for travel, amid reports of North Korean troops being deployed to take part in the war against Ukraine.

Source: Mediazonea Russian media outlet, citing data from Russia’s Federal Border Security Service

Quote: “Border officials reported that 3,765 North Koreans arrived in Russia from July to September for training. By comparison, in the entire pre-COVID year of 2019, there were only 3,200 students.”

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Details: The press notes that the quota for North Korean students in Russia remains low. In April 2024, the Russian Ministry of Education reported that approximately 130 North Korean students were studying in Russia at the time. “For the next academic year, more than 100 applications have been submitted from the Korean side to study in Russian universities,” said Russian Education Minister Valery Falkov.

The press points out that data from the Federal Border Security Service covers only the third quarter of 2024, before US intelligence agencies publicly report on the deployment of North Korean soldiers.

South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing intelligence sources, claimed that the first stage of the transfer of North Korean troops took place between October 8 and 13.

Background:

• Previous reports indicator that North Korean military personnel were engaged in combat for the first time in Russia’s Kursk region.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that they already existed casualty among North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia.

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