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.

Soldiers from North Korea are fighting on Russia's side. However, not all of them are aware of why they are going to Ukraine. A military member told a South Korean newspaper that he was unaware he would be involved in combat,

The North Korean soldier said he did not know that he was going to be sent to attack Ukrainian soldiers and believed he would be going to Russia as an overseas student

The 10,000 North Koreans sent to this Russian region to fight alongside the Russians withdrew from the area in mid-January after suffering heavy losses.

At least around 300 North Korean soldiers have died in Kursk, with about 2,700 being injured. The Ukraine war is currently entangled in diplomacy and politics. While Russia and United States have met in Saudi Arabia,

The South Korean government has announced that it will provide the necessary protection and support to all North Korean soldiers captured by the Ukrainian military, in accordance with the fundamental principle and related laws that guarantee their acceptance if they request to move to S.

South Korea is willing to provide protection and support if North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine request to come to the South, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday, following reports that a North Korean soldier held by Ukrainian forces expressed his intent to defect.