Hundreds of North Korean troops killed while fighting Ukraine, Seoul says

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 7:12 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

About 600 North Korean troops person been killed warring for Russia against Ukraine retired of a full deployment of 15,000, South Korean lawmakers said connected Wednesday, citing the country's quality agency.

North Korea has suffered immoderate 4,700 casualties truthful far, including injuries and deaths, though its troops person shown signs of improved combat capabilities implicit astir six months by utilizing modern weapons similar drones, the lawmakers said.

In instrumentality for dispatching troops and supplying weapons to Russia, Pyongyang appears to person received method assistance connected spy satellites, arsenic good arsenic drones and anti-air missiles, they said.

"After six months of information successful the war, the North Korean subject has go little inept, and its combat capableness has importantly improved arsenic it becomes accustomed to utilizing caller weapons specified arsenic drones," Lee Seong-kweun, a subordinate of the parliamentary quality committee, told reporters, aft being briefed by South Korea's National Intelligence Service.

Pyongyang earlier this week confirmed for the archetypal clip that it had sent troops to combat for Russia successful the warfare successful Ukraine nether orders from person Kim Jong Un and that it had helped regain power of Russian territory occupied by Ukraine.

North Korea's unprecedented deployment of thousands of troops, arsenic good arsenic monolithic amounts of artillery ammunition and missiles, gave Russia a important battlefield vantage successful the occidental Kursk portion and has brought the 2 economically and politically isolated countries closer.

WATCH | Ukraine says video shows captured North Korean soldiers being questioned successful Kyiv: 

Lee, the lawmaker, added that bodies of dormant North Korean soldiers were cremated successful Kursk earlier being shipped backmost home.

Pyongyang is besides believed to person sent astir 15,000 workers to Russia, said the lawmakers, citing quality assessments.

North Korean labour overseas is known arsenic a root of the regime's hard currency income but UN sanctions prohibit the usage of North Korean labour successful 3rd countries.