North Korea has strongly criticized the United States over what it calls “political and military provocations.” The statement came after the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson docked in the South Korean port city of Busan on March 2.

The reports of a new deployment come after Pyongyang was said to be suffering heavy losses in the Kursk region.

Finance ministers and central bankers from the G20 top economies gather in South Africa on Wednesday and Thursday, for a meeting marred by the absence or curtailed attendance of key members and disputes over the main issues of climate, debt and inequality.

South Korea’s spy agency says North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia, after its soldiers deployed on the Russian-Ukraine fronts suffered heavy casualties.

The fresh deployment comes after North Korea suffered heavy casualties on the front lines in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the South’s spy agency says.

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.

In addition to the contingent that is fighting alongside the Russian forces, Pyongyang has sent millions of artillery munitions and other security assistance to Moscow.

These reinforcements join an estimated 11,000 North Korean troops already deployed in Russia’s Kursk region since October 2024. The Kursk area, partially occupied by Ukrainian f