In a historic first, Ukrainian forces reportedly engaged in combat with North Korean troops, marking an unexpected development in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
While conversing with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said a "small group" of North Korean soldiers were attacked.”
As per Reuters, the US official shared that North Korean troops were involved in the Kursk region of Russia on 4 November.
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky also said these "first battles with North Korea open a new chapter of instability in the world".
However, Seol said it "does not believe [troops on both sides] engaged in direct combat", but that there was an "incident" involving a small number of North Korean soldiers "near the frontline".
According to Ukraine, there were an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers in the area near the Kursk border, where Ukrainian troops are present.
It is pertinent to mention that South Korean and US intelligence as well as NATO have claimed that North Korean troops were involved in Russia's war.
But Moscow and Pyongyang did not respond yet to any of these allegations.
