The North Korean troops have withdrawn from the Kursk region due to significant losses. They are currently not participating in combat operations, Yonhap News reports, citing the South Korean intelligence.

North Korean soldiers sent to fight in Russia's Kursk region haven't been seen for several weeks, reports say.

North Korea began sending an estimated 11,000 troops to the Russian Kursk region late last year, soon after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on a mutual defense pact designed to strengthen their alliance against what they called a US-led “Western hegemony.”