High-ranking North Korean officer wounded in Ukrainian strike - WSJ

The sources did not name the officer nor did they detail the manner in which he was wounded.

 Soldiers participate in a demonstration during the training of the Korean People's Army's air and amphibious combat units, in this picture released on March 16, 2024 (photo credit: KCNA/REUTERS)
Soldiers participate in a demonstration during the training of the Korean People's Army's air and amphibious combat units, in this picture released on March 16, 2024
(photo credit: KCNA/REUTERS)

A high-ranking North Korean military commander was wounded in a Ukrainian attack on the region of Kursk in Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing western officials.

The sources did not name the officer nor did they detail the manner in which he was wounded, the report noted.

According to the WSJ, Col. Gen. Kim Yong Bok, deputy chief of the Korean military's general staff, was reportedly in Russia to coordinate his country's troops with the Russians. 

Recent escalation

The report comes amid the recent escalation in the Ukraine-Russia War.

Earlier this month, North Korea sent over 10,000 troops to Russia's Kursk region, in what the US has termed "a major escalation by Russia."

 A view shows a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine November 21, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Mykola Synelnykov/File Photo)
A view shows a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine November 21, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Mykola Synelnykov/File Photo)

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that  in a first, Ukraine had attacked Russian targets using Storm Shadow missiles provided by the UK.  

On Thursday, it was reported that Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro in Ukraine, in retaliation to the West enabling Ukraine to fire advanced weapons at Russia.  

Reuters and Corinne Baum contributed to this report.