At least 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and another 2,700 wounded fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) claimed on Jan. 13, according to the South Korean Yonhap news agency.
The NIS attributed the high casualties to the soldiers' "lack of understanding of modern warfare," including their "useless" attempts to shoot down long-range drones.
North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast last fall to support Russian forces in countering a Ukrainian incursion launched on Aug. 6. Ukrainian forces have continued fighting in the region, leveraging their positions for potential future negotiations.
The NIS remarks follow President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim on Jan. 9 that North Korean forces fighting alongside Russian troops have suffered 4,000 casualties, both killed and wounded.
The NIS reported that North Korea has allegedly forced its soldiers to kill themselves to avoid capture by Ukrainian troops.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed on Dec. 27 that some North Korean soldiers had taken their own lives, fearing retaliation against their families if captured.
On Jan. 11, Zelensky announced the capture of two North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast. The prisoners of war (POWs), identified by the NIS as members of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea’s military intelligence agency, are now in the custody of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and receiving medical care.
Zelensky shared video footage of the SBU interrogating the POWs with the assistance of Korean translators. In the video, one soldier expressed a desire to return to North Korea, while the other said he wished to remain in Ukraine.
Abbey Fenbert
